Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered
by Thayerblue1
Summary: A cyberpunk AU that starts after the Fourth Shinobi War is over. Featuring Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata and Shizuka. See inside for details. (On Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

_**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is a remaster of my very old (2015) fic Journey to Lyonesse. The plotline is generally the same but the writing and details have changed quite a bit. The first 6 chapters are the original updated but starting with Chapter 7 it will be all new, Here is Chapter 1; Enjoy!

ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Summary: This is sort of a cyberpunk AU. There are elements of Bioshock, Shadowrun and myths of Atlantis, Ys and Lyonesse of various eras and probably a lot of other stuff included. I have to thank **SPeCTeR-117** and **Solvdrage** for ideas they put forth that somehow amalgamated and morphed into this story. The general time frame is after the Fourth Shinobi War is over and before _Naruto: The Last_ movie It will primarily involve Hinata, Shizuka and Naruto as they are the main pairing.

 **Chapter 1**

 **Fire Country, Konoha, Hokage's Office**

The Sixth Hokage Hatake Kakashi was looking over a rather odd request from the Fifth Mizukage; Terumi Mei. The message concerned the Nadeshiko Village. It was an odd request because Kiri was very near the kunoichi run village. The Nadeshiko Village was very close to Water Country and yet the Mizukage wanted Konoha ninjas to undertake this particular mission. While Mei didn't go into detail; it seemed there was some kind of political tension between Kiri and the Nadeshiko Village that prevented the Mizukage from sending her own ninjas to do the job. Something amiss was going on in the kunoichi village and Terumi Mei wanted to know what it was. The Mizukage requested an all kunoichi team from Konoha to go there and wanted Uzumaki Naruto to lead it. The orange loving blonde had grown famous since the Fourth Shinobi War ended a year ago and was in high demand as a result. Terumi's note said the Naruto had some previous connection to the Nadeshiko Village and that was why she requested him personally.

The Sixth Hokage summoned Naruto to see if there was something he didn't know. Kakashi decided to ask the blonde about the mission parameters as his gut reaction was suspicion. Naruto soon arrived by coming in through the window of the Hokage's office. The blonde was obviously in a good mood. The silver haired Hokage looked at his once student and was quite amazed at how much Naruto had grown up although he was still dense as a rock when it came to women. "I'm here Kakashi-sensei. Do you have a mission for me?" asked the blonde.

Kakashi nodded and said, "I might have a mission for you but I need to ask you some questions first. Go ahead and have a seat."

Naruto sat down and asked puzzled, "What is it you need to ask me Kakashi-sensei?"

"Can you tell me if you have ever been in contact with the Nadeshiko Village in Water Country?" asked the former sensei. "The mission has a specific request for you personally stating you've had previous interactions with them." explained Kakashi.

Naruto pondered for a moment and then said, "I once battled their Village leader Shizuka because of a stupid promise Ero-sennin made to their previous village leader. Shizuka came to hunt me down and defeat me."

"She was out to defeat you?" asked Kakashi. "Why?"

Naruto sighed. "At some point in time Ero-sennin made a promise that _his student_ would defeat Shizuka-sama and take her hand in marriage. Needless to say I knew nothing about it." The blonde shrugged. "Anyway, Shizuka and her attendant Tokiwa came to Fire Country find me and settle things. The traditions of the Nadeshiko Village are that a kunoichi has to find a husband that is stronger than her and bring him home."

"So what does Shizuka-sama look like?" asked Kakashi wondering if his student was going to have a chance for some ' _fun_ ' on this mission.

"She is really pretty." said Naruto. "Shizuka has green eyes, long black hair and really fair skin. She's a very formidable kunoichi and has a great body too." Kakashi giggled perversely at his student's description. "Anyway, I fought her and some nutcase named Kokuyō came up and captured her so he could force her hand in marriage. I ended up kicking his ass and she decided I was worthy to be her husband."

"And…? Did you two have some _enjoyable_ times together afterwards my dear student?" asked Kakashi wanting the details.

"Nah; I told her I was interested in Sakura-chan at the time and that she should change her village rules so she could marry someone she loved." answered Naruto. Kakashi face faulted and wondered if his former student had a brain in his head. "Anyway, after that she gave up on the idea of an arranged marriage and told me she was going to get stronger for her certain someone. We parted ways on friendly enough terms. The whole experience was kind of surreal –ttebayo."

Kakashi wanted to groan at his student's epic failure to get some action with a hottie but decided it wasn't worth pressing the issue. The silver haired Hokage explained, "I have a mission request put forth by the Mizukage for you and a kunoichi team to go to the Nadeshiko Village and find out what's going on there. According to Terumi Mei she can't send her own ninjas for some reason so she requested you personally."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "So what is the nature of this mission Kakashi-sensei? It sounds like a simple investigation but going into a foreign ninja village to just 'check out' what's going on could be considered a hostile action. I'm not about to invade the privacy of a whole village full of tough kunoichis and get my ass kicked so the Mizukage won't have to get her hands dirty. I can't think of _any_ plausible reason a team and I would just be 'passing through' Water Country. Konoha is so far from that island that there is no way Shizuka wouldn't be suspicious. This has disaster written all over it Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi nodded and said, "The thought crossed my mind as well which is why I wanted to talk to you about it first. The Mizukage claims she already has a cover story for you Naruto." Naruto looked expectantly at Kakashi who sighed. "In a nutshell; you and your team are going to Kiri for a diplomatic mission from Konoha and you decided to visit the Nadeshiko Village while you were in Water Country. Since you met Shizuka-sama in the past and you thought you'd visit her….It sounds perfectly harmless and you and your group will hopefully get a tour of the Nadeshiko Village. If you're a smooth enough talker you might be able to find out whatever is going on. Afterwards you will report back to the Mizukage with your mission results. This mission is S-ranked and realistically I think Terumi Mei is right that you are the only candidate for the job."

Naruto's gut feeling was to _just say no_ because he had a bad feeling about it. On the other hand he'd never refused a mission no matter how tough it was and he was being specifically asked by Kakashi-sensei…."Alright; I'll go but I want it stated I think this mission is a very bad idea. My instincts tell me this could end up being a total clusterfuck for me and my team."

Kakashi nodded figuring that was as good as he was going to get from the blonde. He was surprised that Naruto was so hesitant though. It wasn't like the orange wearing ninja to ever give a mission a second thought. "Alright Naruto; I've already picked out three kunoichis for this mission. They are Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Hana and Mitarashi Anko. All three of them are good trackers and Anko in particular has years of espionage training. Between Hinata's byakugan and Hana's nose they should be able to see if anything else is amiss. Hana's good with medical jutsus as well."

"When do we leave?" asked Naruto.

"As soon as I get confirmation you'll head out." answered Kakashi. "I'm sending a message to the Mizukage and once the mission is confirmed you and your team will head to Kiri to report to her because of your 'diplomatic' mission. I'd pack for about a month's trip if I were you Naruto."

Naruto grunted. "I'd already figured that much out Kakashi-sensei. Give me _some_ credit."

Kakashi chuckled. "Sorry Naruto; I guess I'll always think of you as my student. Anyway, I'll inform your teammates and there will be an additional briefing for the four of you before you go."

….

 **Fire Country, Port City**

One week later Naruto and his team were at Port City on the east coast of Fire Country. They were quietly awaiting the ship to take them to Water Country. The trip had been peaceful although Anko had raised the question more than once why such a powerful team had been assembled for what she considered a B-rank mission at best. Naruto had been sworn to secrecy about the investigation in the Nadeshiko village and simply told them there would be additional instructions from the Mizukage when they got there. The Snake Princess seemed pacified for the moment but Naruto _really_ didn't like keeping secrets from his teammates….

Hinata was planning to get closer to Naruto on this mission no matter what. He was growing more and more popular with the ladies since his fame in the Fourth Shinobi War was spreading….

 _…._

 _Flashback_ ….

 _"I'm on a month long mission with Naruto-kun Hanabi-chan._ _ **What am I going to do?!**_ _" asked the Hyūga heiress as she nervously packed for the mission._

 _Hanabi giggled. "You need to tie him up and have your_ _ **wicked ways**_ _with your boyfriend Hinata nee-chan. You've waited far too long as it is."_

 _The pearl eyed beauty blushed scarlet and said, "I c-can't do that Hanabi-chan! What if he doesn't feel the same way for me? I'd be devastated…."_

 _"You need to let him know how you feel nee-chan." said Hanabi. "If you don't some other woman is going to come along and take him away from you. You've loved him forever. Promise me you'll confess your feelings to him on the way back."_

 _"Hanabi-chan, I-" started Hinata._

 _Her little sister cut her off. "_ _ **Promise**_ _me nee-chan! This is for your own good."_

 _Hinata sighed. "Alright Hanabi-chan. I_ _ **promise**_ _I'll confess to Naruto-kun after we've completed our mission tasks."_

 _Hanabi hugged Hinata and said, "I just want you to be happy Hinata nee." The byakugan princess returned her little sister's hug and after a few minutes the two resumed packing…._

 _Flashback end…._

….

Hinata sighed and hoped she could go through with her promise to Hanabi….

Hana and her three ninken, the Haimaru Triplets, were happy to be on a mission outside the village but weren't too happy to be stuck on a ship. The triplets tended to get antsy being cooped up on a boat even for a few hours so she had already given them a talk about behaving over the next few days and not using any of the crew as chew toys….

Anko was sitting back at the docks relaxing while the younger ninjas burned energy pacing around. Truthfully she'd put enough pieces together to figure out the S-ranked mission was for the Mizukage and probably required hunting someone or some _thing_ down. Naruto was a sensor, Hinata had her byakugan and Hana and her triplets could track just about anything they could scent. Anko herself was a skilled tracker and could use her snakes to help in the task. Truthfully Anko hoped they were hunting a missing nin or something tough; she was eager to get onto the _real_ mission.

….

 **Water Country, Kiri Village**

It had taken a four day's trip by boat and an additional day's travel through Water Country to make it to Kiri Village. The trip to the Village Hidden in the Mist could have been made in no time at all but between the multiple security checks and having to travel with others at a civilian pace it had taken forever as far as the Konoha ninjas were concerned. After one final security check at Kiri's gates they were escorted to the main administration building where the Mizukage had her office.

Terumi Mei was sitting at her desk with the four Konoha ninjas in front of her. She smiled and said flirtatiously, "Uzumaki Naruto-kun, you've grown so much taller since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. It's so good to be in the company of such a handsome man." Naruto would have sworn he heard Hinata growl but figured he must be mistaken. "I trust you have the 'diplomatic' scroll from the Hokage?" Naruto nodded and handed it over. Mei broke the seal and read over the notes from Kakashi regarding the team. Nodding to herself she said to them, "Everything is in order here. Your real mission starts now. You are to investigate the recent goings on in the Nadeshiko Village nearby Water Country and report back to me with the results. The situation doesn't appear dangerous at this point but the kunoichis of the Nadeshiko Village have pointedly been keeping our Kiri ninjas away."

"Can you tell us anything about the situation in Nadeshiko Village and why it has you alarmed Mizukage-sama?" asked Naruto.

"Just call me Mei Naruto-kun." said the Mizukage with a purr. "As to the situation, we have been finding recent wide scale fluctuations of chakra in the area around Nadeshiko Village and they seem intent on keeping us out of the know about it. It's as if a tailed beast or the like is reforming itself there. Terumi tapped her finger on her desk. "Since we have made peace with the tailed beasts we know their whereabouts and stay in touch with them. I have spoken both to the Sanbi and Rokubi and they say they have sensed it slowly building up over the last two months. They seem unaware as to the nature of the situation either but seem concerned."

"I'll have to contact them and find out more if I can." said Naruto. "I should meditate this evening before I go to sleep."

"You have such _amazing_ qualities Naruto-kun. We should get to know each other better." said Mei seductively.

' _He's MINE you Kiri slut!_ ' thought Hinata angrily.

Hana sweat dropped. ' _I guess the Mizukage's like a bitch in heat. She hasn't spared one of us a glance except Naruto. I'm surprised she hasn't invited him to her bedroom_.'

' _Could she lay it on any thicker?_ ' thought Anko. ' _I won't disagree that Naruto's grown up to be a hottie but this woman's blatantly eye raping him! I wonder how he hasn't noticed_.'

Naruto was totally oblivious to Mei's obvious pass at him and was wondering if there were any decent ramen places in town….

 _…._

That evening Naruto was in deep meditation talking with Kurama. " ** _We need to talk to Saiken first as he's little more knowledgeable….even if he's too hyper for my tastes. Since he's got six tails you'd think he would be a little calmer and have more self respect_** …." said Kurama.

" _You really should lay off your siblings Kurama; sure they're not perfect but who is?_ " asked Naruto.

" ** _Well I consider myself the pinnacle of all living beings_**." said Kuruma haughtily.

Naruto sweat dropped and said, "…. _And how did I get stuck with you again?_ "

" ** _Your Father sealed me in you at birth moron….off topic but why did you make an excuse and practically run when the Mizukage asked you to eat with her? I know you're starving and she's not unattractive for a human female. I thought hunger strikes were against your deep seated philosophical beliefs_**."

" _Actually, the Mizukage's pretty hot but I felt a burst of killing intent from someone over in Hinata-chan's direction that told me I shouldn't_." said the blonde. " _Then Mei-sama told me how much she loved fresh vegetables and we could enjoy a nice salad together….Well, you know I loathe greens with every fiber of my being so I decided it was time for a tactical withdrawal_."

" ** _So if she had asked you out to ramen you would have gone?_** " asked the ancient fox.

" _In a heartbeat!_ " said Naruto enthusiastically. " _Of course, I would have invited everyone to enjoy the food of the gods_."

' ** _My god you are clueless_** ….' thought Kurama.

Naruto reached out with his thoughts to the six tailed Saiken. The six tailed beast appeared in the 'gathering place' in Naruto's subconscious. Saiken said, " _Naruto! I wasn't expecting to hear from you or Kurama. It's been a while. I sense you're close. Are you here in Water Country?_ "

" _That's right Saiken; I'm here to see about that chakra disturbance centered around the Nadeshiko Village_." explained Naruto. " _I'm hoping you or Isobu might have some insights about it."_

" ** _Is there anything you can tell us Saiken?_** " asked Kurama.

" _Well, about two months ago Isobu and I sensed what felt like a space/time ninjutsu inside the Nadeshiko Village_.' said the six tail. ' _We didn't think much of it at the time since it seemed like a localized thing. It wouldn't be the first time that humans tried something of that nature. Anyway it kind of came and then went away so I figured the kunoichis of Nadesiko Village had failed. Then about three weeks ago it suddenly came back much stronger and Kiri ninjas noticed it. I haven't seen it but I would guess whatever they are experimenting with has stabilized. I'm glad you and Kurama are here now though. A jutsu throwing off that much chakra could be really dangerous_."

" _Alright, we'll look into it after we talk to Isobu_." said Naruto. " _Thanks Saiken_."

" _Anytime Naruto; Kurama! Just let me know if you need my help and I'll head your way_." said Saiken as he signed off.

" ** _Well, he's as energetic as ever._** " muttered Kurama. " ** _If it's a space time ninjutsu it could also be caused by a seal as well._** "

" _That's a good point_." agreed Naruto. " _Let's see if Isobu knows anything_."

Isobu appeared a few minutes later. " **Kurama; Naruto? Is that you?** "

" _It sure is Isobu_." answered the blonde. " _We're investigating that chakra disturbance at Nadshiko Village. Can you tell us anything about it?_ "

Isobu nodded. " **Well, I can tell you this is the third time it has happened. The first time was when I was still young and had just moved out to this region. I didn't know what caused it but a lot of humans appeared suddenly so I thought it was some kind of portal that opened from somewhere. About five hundred years later more people appeared the same way. I was able to observe them from underwater and from what I could tell they were escaping some kind of cataclysm but I have no idea what the disaster was. They weren't chakra users or invaders as far as I could tell and mainly migrated to the mainland to settle there**."

" _So are you expecting a lot of people to come here Isobu?_ " asked the blonde.

" **It's difficult to say."** Answered the three tail. **"The first time it happened the whole process took a week or so but it was steady and much stronger. The second time the disturbance it was strong and only lasted a day but this time it's fluctuating and has been going on for a couple of months. If I were to venture a guess I'd say it's not strong enough to let people through like before**."

" _We're going to check it out Isobu. We'll let you and Saiken know what we find out_." said Naruto.

" **Alright, good luck guys. Call me if you need my help**." With that Isobu vanished from the meeting place.

" _What do you think Kurama?_ " asked the orange loving blonde. " _It kind of sounds like stuff Kaguya could do_."

Kurama nodded. " ** _It does to me too Naruto but we would have sensed if it was Kaguya. I'm sure she's gone so it must be someone trying to use a similar technique. I think we should check this out quickly._** "

' _Agreed_.' answered Naruto….

….

 **Kiri Village, Front Gates**

Naruto and his team slipped out of Kiri early in the morning to head for Nadeshiko Village. The blonde described what information he'd learned to both the Mizukage and his teammates. The information from Isobu had been particularly alarming to the Mei. It would be bad enough dealing with a bunch of immigrants but the possibility of an invasion loomed large in her mind as well. The Konoha team took a short boat trip from Water Country and soon landed on the island the Nadeshiko kunoichi called home.

Keeping their eyes and ears open Naruto's team moved quickly and stealthily through the misty woodlands and around the many lakes. Eventually they came across a mountainous region with lush forests. In the center of this were three steep, massive hills connected to each other by bridges. Atop of these three hills sat the heavily fortified Nadeshiko Village. "It's extremely well defended." said Hinata as she described the brick and stone walls that dominated the village as the group openly trekked towards the three hills. If they were ' _just visiting_ ' as per their cover story the best thing to do would be to take an open path where the sentries would easily spot them so they could assure the Nadeshiko kunoichis their intentions were harmless.

As the group traveled they felt a wave of chakra travel over them. Naruto zoomed in on it with his sensor abilities and Hinata did the same with her byakugan. "In the center of the highest fortress is a deep natural lake." said Hinata. "The chakra seems to be coming from inside the lake near the bottom."

The group travelled a little more cautiously for about fifteen minutes before four chunin level kunoichi intercepted them. "I am Ayumu of the Nadeshiko Village." stated the leader of the four. "State your identities and why you are here." she demanded.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto and these are my companions." he said before introducing each of his teammates. "I was here in Water Country on a mission for the Hokage. Now that it is done I thought I would seek out your village to see Shizuka-sama. We met a few years ago and I thought I would see how she is doing. I felt a strange wave of chakra on the way here though. Is your village in danger? If I can help in any way I will."

Ayumu and the other three kunoichis looked a bit star struck. "You are _the_ Uzumaki Naruto; _The Savior of this world?!_ " asked one of them.

"Ummm, is that what they are calling me now?" asked Naruto with a blush. "I am one of those that ended the Fourth Shinobi War by sealing Princess Kaguya."

Three of the kunoichi looked completely excited but the fourth looked less than convinced. "Can you prove you are _the_ Uzumaki Naruto? It's said he is a great Sage with unparalleled powers. How do we know that you are not just some infiltrator trying to harm our village?" she asked with hostility in her voice. "You look like a pretender to me."

Naruto felt his team tense for battle behind him and rubbed his chin. "Well, I can think of one way to prove it to you."

"And how it that?" asked the hostile kunoichi.

"I will demonstrate the six paths sage mode." said Naruto. "Observe." With that a shockwave of chakra exploded from him knocking the four chunnins back and surrounding himself with a flaming chakra cloak as truth seeking balls surrounded him. The skeptical kunoichi saw him towering over her with crossed shaped pupils. She was completely overwhelmed by Naruto's sheer presence in this form. She stared in shock as Naruto said to her, "Do you still doubt me? I can take it up a few notches but your village will probably think they are being attacked when all I planned to do is say hello to Shizuka-sama."

Ayumu blurted out "W-we believe your words N-N-Naruto-sama! Apologize to him immediately Maki!"

The now named Maki blurted out an apology so fast that no one could make heads or tails of it but Naruto just nodded and released his sage form.

Hinata had felt Naruto's warm sage presence before and felt she could bask in his warmth all day. She smiled seeing Maki skitter back behind her comrades. Hinata personally felt the girl deserved to be scared witless for doubting _her_ Naruto-kun's words.

For her part, Anko hadn't witnessed this before even at a distance since she had been incapacitated at the time of the last battle. ' _My God! The power he wields is beyond comprehension!_ ' It both frightened and excited the snake mistress at the same time. ' _Is it wrong to feel attracted to a guy several years my junior?!_ ' she wondered to herself.

Inuzuka Hana had a different, more clinical reaction. ' _Okay, I just thoroughly drenched my panties in the presence of the_ _ **ultimate**_ _alpha male. I know as a medic it's only a natural biological reaction….Yes if I had him alone I'd ravage him in the dirt right here and now! I'd take him by force if necessary even though he's one of my kid brother's friends….Oh gods! What the hell am I saying to myself?!_ '

….

 **Nadeshiko Village**

It was a real surprise to the kunoichis of Nadeshiko Village that Uzumaki Naruto was there. _All_ of them knew that he had the rights to Shizuka-sama and with his heroism during the Fourth Shinobi War no one had _any_ doubts that he was indeed worthy to be her husband. Shizuka herself was the most shocked of all he was there. Had he come to claim her at long last? When he let her go years ago she secretly wanted to go after him. She'd grown much stronger over the years for her 'certain someone' –Naruto. Shizuka and her advisor Tokiwa came out to greet them. "Naruto-sama, you've grown so much taller since I saw you last. How are you?" asked Shizuka.

Naruto waved his hand. "You don't have to use honorifics with me Shizuka-sama. My team and I were in Water Country and I thought I would stop in and see your village since I never get out here. I hope you don't mind me coming unannounced."

Shizuka blushed slightly and smiled. "No, it's fine. Just call me Shizuka….I'm very happy you came."

"I'm glad." said Naruto happily. "Oh, let me introduce my team to you." Naruto made the proper introductions to both parties and finished with, "Do you have an inn or something for visitors? I don't want to impose or anything but I think we'd all like to freshen up."

"It's no trouble at all." said Tokiwa. "I'm sure that Shizuka-sama would enjoy your company for dinner later Naruto-sama."

"Well, the four of us are awfully hungry from the road. Would that be okay with you girls?" he asked his team.

Every kunoichi present (even Hinata) thought, ' _Tokiwa just meant_ _you_ _moron! Can you be any more dense?!_ ' as they all sweat dropped.

Shizuka said, "Naruto and his party shall dine with me this evening then. Perhaps I could show you around the village tomorrow Naruto."

' _Jackpot!_ ' thought Anko.

Hinata was wringing her hands. ' _Please don't turn this down Naruto-kun_.'

Hana had other thoughts on her mind. ' _These kunoichis_ _all_ _have the hots for Naruto. He's in a pervert's harem paradise and doesn't even know it!_ '

"That sounds great Shizuka. We'll go to the inn and get cleaned up." said Naruto beaming.

Shizuka smiled and clapped her hands together. " _Wonderful_. I'll see you at dinner. Tokiwa, please make arrangements at the inn. They are my _personal_ guests and will not be charged for lodging."

"As you wish Shizuka-sama." said Tokiwa as she led Naruto's party away to the inn to clean up.

Shizuka returned to her residence and was assailed by her older advisors. "Shizuka-sama! At last you can make him yours. He's probably the most powerful ninja in the world and he's ripe for the taking." said one.

"Think of how powerful your future children could be! Make it your mission to win his heart Shizuka-sama!" added another.

Several others added their opinions and it made Shizuka blush. "I have to prepare for dinner. I need a bath." Soon Shizuka was being beautified by her attendants. If they had their way Shizuka-sama and Naruto-sama would be announcing their wedding the next morning.

….

Naruto and his team were soon having dinner at Shizuka's residence. The group was having a fairly ' _light_ ' conversation while they ate. In reality, Hinata was showing her claws over Naruto and she and Shizuka were glaring at each other when Naruto wasn't talking directly to one of them. Hana wanted to duck and run. She'd known about Hinata's love for Naruto for years because Kiba was her teammate but now _wasn't_ the time to show her possessive fangs. Just as bad, Shizuka was doing her best to flaunt that she and Naruto were _meant_ to be together because of the contract between her mentor and Jiraiya-sama. Hana was cringing because the two equally tenacious kunoichis were digging their unconsciously chakra enhanced nails into the wooden table as they ' _chatted_ ' about Naruto-kun.

Naturally, the blonde ninja in question was totally oblivious to all the tension and was more interested in the food than conversing anyway.

For her part, Anko wished she had some popcorn. This kind of entertainment was hard to find. Tokiwa was standing by in case either of the youngest kunoichis went for and all out catfight. She saw her job as preventing an international incident. About the time the friendly chat was about to break out into a kunai duel, a _massive_ wave of chakra nearly bowled them all over from the lake. Naruto was the first on his feet. "What the _hell_ was that? Are we under attack?" he asked. Experiencing it from range was one thing but point blank was quite another.

Hinata immediately activated her byakugan and said. "It's coming from the bottom of the lake and rising fast!"

Shizuka led the group down to the lake and the water was bubbling and foaming. A thick mass was emerging from the lake like hot water was boiling over but there was no apparent heat. "It's never been this bad!" yelled Tokiwa over the noise of the rushing water.

"What _is_ it?" asked Hana.

"We don't know!" answered Shizuka. "It started months ago but never rose to the surface before. It just was a mass of chakra underwater so we've stayed out of the lake."

The churning water swept forward right at Shizuka but Hinata yelled out. "Watch out Shizuka-sama!" and tackled her out of the way. Shizuka was about to thank Hinata for saving her when another wave crashed over them and pulled them into the massive undertow.

"Hinata-chan! Shizuka!" yelled Naruto. Going into six paths sage mode he leaped in after them. It felt like he was swimming though a jelly like substance. It was clear like water and her saw Hinata and Shizuka holding on to each other trying to swim to the surface. He reached out to them and felt his fingertips brush with Hinata's before the thick liquid seemed to implode into a whirlpool sweeping them away from each other and Naruto blacked out….

"They're gone…." said Anko as the water turned back to normal. "All three of them are gone….What are we going to do…?"

It would be a long night in the Nadeshiko Village….

….

 **Location: Unknown**

Naruto came crashing out of the strange liquid, through some sort of glass-like barrier and landed on his back _hard_. He was stunned and tried to wipe off the gelatinous goo. When his ears were unplugged and he could see properly the soaking blonde heard a string of curses that would make a sailor blush and saw he was surrounded by some sort of yakuza gangsters. Judging by the pile of them laying on the ground below him; he'd just landed upon a large group of them and squashed several. He rolled off the moaning pile of limbs and said, "Sorry guys…."

They weren't happy. By that point the gangsters had him surrounded and had switchblades or daggers they were waving threateningly at him. A couple of them were aiming cylinders at him that were…. _'What were they called again? Guns;*① that was it_.' thought the blonde. Naruto had seen a few hunters in outlying areas used them instead of bows. They were really too noisy in the ninja world but some civilians liked them.

"Who is this fucker and why is he covered in slime?" asked one.

"Is he here to help the princess?" askedd another pointing towards a platinum blonde woman in the distance.

Naruto turned and looked at the girl they were pointing at; she was in her late teens and was _very_ attractive. She had flawless ivory skin and her platinum blonde hair was done up in elaborately curled pigtails.*② She had the general appearance of a runway model but looking into her light green eyes briefly Naruto got the distinct idea that she had the personality of a glacier. Her long black and white dress was flawless and had odd gear patterns on it. All in all she was quite striking. She stood fearlessly behind two men armed with katanas that appeared to be her bodyguards.

Beside her stood a middle aged man in a black tuxedo with gray hair and a goatee that was urging her to flee. She turned to the goateed man and said, "Kraven; I paid good money for these two enforcers to do their jobs, I want to make sure they live up to their reputations."

"This slimy idiot isn't helping Steelside's daughter." said a man standing on the opposite side of the yakuza in a gray suit. The aura this man gave off reminded Naruto distinctively of the corporate pig Gato that died years ago. "Kill her two enforcers and manservant and bring her to me. I'm sure her father would pay a king's ransom to get his only daughter back. She looks like she'd be good to have some _fun_ with too." he said with a leer. Naruto frowned. This guy was real scum.

"What about this guy Mr. Ren?" asked one of the thugs pointing at Naruto.

"Just kill him, he's in the way." said the now named Ren as he brushed his nails nonchalantly on his gray suit.

Naruto saw most of the gangsters rush the two bodyguards and five stayed behind to deal with Naruto….

Benibara Steelside was irritated. Her hover limo had broken down and had to land in _the streets_ in between the Arcology*③ she was visiting and her home one, Whorl. She had no doubt that Mr. Ren had one of his lackeys sabotage her vehicle. Why else would he be down here in the urban decay waiting for her? Her two Enforcers she had hired to guard her were failing. One was dead from gunshot wounds and the other was losing against Ren's thugs.

The platinum blonde could fight and knew the goken style but she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to escape. Her manservant Kraven had suggested they retreat in his usual cowardly way but in this case she really should have listened to him instead of hanging around. In the distance she saw the blonde man that fell out of the sky fighting five of Ren's yakuza and completely dominating them. To her trained eye she could tell he was easily ghosting around them as if they were standing still….

Naruto knocked out the last gangster with a brutal punch to the face that sent him flying end over end. The blonde looked at the frightened Ren and said, "….And then there was one…." as he stalked towards him.

Ren was panicking. Whoever this blonde haired guy was; he was a _monster_. Ren yelled to his men, "Forget Benibara! Protect me from this guy!"

The sixteen remaining thugs had just finished off Benibara's second enforcer and looked back only to see their comrades on the ground lying in their own blood. The yakuza in charge said, "You heard the boss. Take that guy out!" Rushing back the yakuza soon found themselves in a total mess. Naruto body flickered in amongst them and started crushing them with contemptuous ease using the toad style. He often body switched with gang members causing them to shoot or stab their comrades. Finally Ren opened fire into the crowd from range trying to shoot Naruto heedless of the fact his men were still there. Naruto once again body switched; this time with Ren. Ren was shocked when the bullets he just fired hit him and they killed him. The two remaining thugs tried to run but Naruto appeared behind them and cracked their skulls together which knocked them unconscious.

The whole confrontation took about two minutes….

Benibara looked on with a cold, calculating smile and said, "Kraven, hire that man to escort us to the Whorl Arcology. Tell him the Steelside family will consider this a personal favor and he will be paid handsomely."

Kraven nodded and timidly came over to the powerful blonde who just decimated over twenty men without breaking a sweat. He saw Naruto was trying to get whatever the goo was off of him. "Ummm….excuse me sir?" asked the goateed man.

Naruto looked up and locked eyes with Kraven for a moment before realizing he wasn't a threat. "What is it you want?" asked Naruto.

Realizing Naruto wasn't going to lash out at him, Kraven relaxed a little. "I'm Wilhelm Kraven. My mistress Lady Benibara Steelside would like to secure your services as an escort over to the Whorl Arcology. You will be paid handsomely and the Steelside family would consider this a personal favor."

"Well, I've never heard of this Steelside family." said Naruto. "What's a Whorl _Arcology_ anyway? I've never even heard the word before."

Kraven went bug eyed. ' _Has this guy lived in the undercity all his life?_ ' "Where might you be from Mr….?

Naruto scratched his neck embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. My name is Uzumaki. Uzumaki Naruto. I'm from Konoha. I was swimming and got sucked into this….goo. When I came out of it I crashed through some sort of window and fell to the ground. I don't know this place at all."

' _He's from OUTSIDE the barrier!_ ' thought Kraven. "Well Mr. Uzumaki, you are in the nation of Lyonesse. The structures you see are self contained cities called Arcologies. The one we are going to is that one, the Whorl Arcology." he said pointing towards a several mile high structure in the shape of a spiraled nautilus sea shell. It glowed a bright neon green color.

"So you need me to escort you and that lady about a mile to that giant sea shell shaped place?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, that's precisely it." said Kraven "The streets are a dangerous area and judging by the way you dealt with Mr. Ren and his thugs I would say you could protect us easily."

"Why are these streets so dangerous?" asked Naruto looking around at what seemed to be an urban jungle in an advanced state of decay.

"The Arcologies are safe havens for humanity." explained Kraven. "The streets are what's left of the original Lyonesse from hundreds of years ago. It's a lawless wasteland not fit for human habitation. Dangerous creatures of all sorts live here as well as gangs and criminals as you saw earlier."

Naruto shrugged, "Okay, fair enough. I'll escort you two over to the giant nautilus shell. Maybe I can get a shower or something there to wash this gunk of me. Do you have any idea what this goo is?"

Kraven paused and said, "I'm taking a guess but I believe it's _heavy water_ that surrounds Lyonesse and keeps the sea out. Shall we go Mr. Uzumaki?"

Naruto followed Kraven over to the impatiently waiting Benibara Steelside. She assumed the blonde man was arguing with Kraven for an outrageous protection fee but in this case she was willing to pay. When she saw Kraven a Naruto approach she put on her 'socialite smile' and said in a friendly way, "Well hello there; I trust we have an accord for you to escort us to Whorl?"

Naruto looked into her calculating light green eyes and said. "Yeah, I'll escort you over there. Let's get going."

Naruto was about to turn and start walking when Kraven said, "Mr. Uzumaki; might I introduce Lady Benibara Steelside. Lady Steelside, this is Mr. Uzumaki Naruto."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Uzumaki." said Benibara as she held out her hand for him to kiss her knuckles. (Truthfully she didn't to have Naruto touch her; he was covered in slime after all.)

Naruto just bowed slightly and said, "It's nice to meet you. We should go." Then Naruto turned and started leading them towards the Whorl Arcology.

Benibara was a bit incensed at Naruto's perceived lack of manners. ' _Just_ _ **who**_ _the hell does he think he is? Doesn't he know who_ _ **I**_ _am?_ ' she fumed. Calming herself she said to Kraven in a whisper tone, "So how much damage has this done to my bank account Wilhelm?"

Kraven thought, ' _Here we go!_ ' "He didn't ask for anything my Lady. He's from outside the barrier and has never even heard of Lyonesse. He didn't even know what an Arcology was. All he asked for was a shower to wash the slime off of him which I'm ninety nine percent sure is heavy water." He saw his mistress' eyes widen and then Kraven could literally _feel_ the gears whirring and clicking in her head.

Benibara gave a beatific smile that basically frightened Kraven and she said, "How fortunate for him that he fell into the hands of the generous Steelside family then."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① Guns: there are actually drawings here and there of guns in the background of Naruto that Kishimoto included. For whatever reason they apparently never caught on.

*② Benibara Steelside: This character is based on Rose Bernstein from the King of Fighters series by SNK in appearance and (somewhat) in personality.

*③ Arocologies are architectural designs for very densely populated, ecologically low-impact human habitats. They are often portrayed as self-contained or economically self-sufficient.

Okay, the first chapter is in the books and posted, I hope everyone enjoys this version. See you Next Time. Blue out. 12/16/18 -Original Version: 3/23/15


	2. Chapter 2

_**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

There are quite a few changes this chapter as there were some major plot holes in the original. Here is Chapter 2. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Since many have asked, Shizuka and Hinata are having separate adventures in other places so there won't be any direct Naruto/Hinata/Shizuka interaction for several chapters. I'd like to thank **Lord Farsight** for inspiring a few scenes in this chapter.

Last time:

 _Naruto followed Kraven over to the impatiently waiting Benibara Steelside. She assumed the blonde man was arguing with Kraven for an outrageous protection fee but in this case she was willing to pay. When she saw Kraven a Naruto approach she put on her 'socialite smile' and said in a friendly way, "Well hello there; I trust we have an accord for you to escort us to Whorl?"_

 _Naruto looked into her calculating light green eyes and said. "Yeah, I'll escort you over there. Let's get going."_

 _Naruto was about to turn and start walking when Kraven said, "Mr. Uzumaki; might I introduce Lady Benibara Steelside. Lady Steelside, this is Mr. Uzumaki Naruto."_

 _"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Uzumaki." said Benibara as she held out her hand for him to kiss her knuckles. (Truthfully she didn't to have Naruto touch her; he was covered in slime after all.)_

 _Naruto just bowed slightly and said, "It's nice to meet you. We should go." Then Naruto turned and started leading them towards the Whorl Arcology._

 _Benibara was a bit incensed at Naruto's perceived lack of manners. ' Just **who** the hell does he think he is? Doesn't he know who **I** am?' she fumed. Calming herself she said to Kraven in a whisper tone, "So how much damage has this done to my bank account Wilhelm?"_

 _Kraven thought, ' Here we go!' "He didn't ask for anything my Lady. He's from outside the barrier and has never even heard of Lyonesse. He didn't even know what an Arcology was. All he asked for was a shower to wash the slime off of him which I'm ninety nine percent sure is heavy water." He saw his mistress' eyes widen and then Kraven could literally feel the gears whirring and clicking in her head. _

_Benibara gave a beatific smile that basically frightened Kraven and she said, "How fortunate for him that he fell into the hands of the generous Steelside family then."_

 _…._

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Streets of the Undercity, Lyonesse**

Kraven was cringing at what Lady Benibara had in mind for Mr. Uzumaki. The manservant sighed and wondered what would happen next when he saw Naruto suddenly stop. The blonde commanded, "Stand still and stop talking. Something is ahead of us." They saw Naruto pull out a kunai knife in each hand and tense himself. Six wolf-like creatures about the size of Inuzaka dogs came out of the darkness with their red eyes glowing.

Benibara and Kraven stared in shock and horror at the beasts. They were dire wolves! A heavy rifle was the only thing that would pierce their hides short of artillery. The only place Benibara had seen one was at the zoo and it frightened her terribly even with the bars in between them. They were _doomed_.

Naruto said, "Pack animals eh? I really don't like killing animals unless it's for dinner." He laid on a massive killing intent and said, "Why don't you pups go home? There's _nothing_ for you to eat here." The dire wolves started whimpering and cringing away but the alpha of the pack lunged at Naruto. The orange wearing ninja simply said, "Wind blades." as he motioned with his arm. The alpha stumbled back before it literally fell apart, sliced into pieces. The other dire wolves howled and whimpered in terror before they fled in fear.

Naruto turned to the other two and said, "Well, I think it's safe for now. Let's get going." Kraven and Benibara seemed a little hesitant and Naruto frowned. "The smell of blood will probably attract other predators." he said as he pointed to the sliced up gore that was once a dire wolf. "Shame about that animal's hide though; it might have made good leather." Then Naruto held up his hand and said, "Hold on a second." Another dire wolf leaped out of the darkness snarling in rage at Naruto. The Sage caught it by the throat making it yelp in fear as he didn't budge an inch. Channeling chakra into his hand Naruto crushed the wolf's windpipe with a massive **_crunch_** that made Benibara and Kraven wince. The blonde held the wolf up until the massive animal went limp as Naruto lowered it to the ground; dead. "This must have been the alpha's mate; shame." muttered the blonde. "It's just another reason I really hate killing animals." He got out a damp scroll and sealed the dire wolf's body in it. "At least I can tan the hide from this one."

' _My god!_ ' thought Kraven with wide eyes. ' _What is he? No human being should be capable of that. Have people outside the barrier….evolved somehow? If one dire wolf is loose in a populated are they send an armored, ten man squad with heavy firepower to kill it. He just killed one with his bare hands!_'

Benibara stared in unabashed awe. ' _He just took out two dire wolves without so much as a scratch. Mr. Uzumaki didn't even break a sweat! I don't care what it costs, he will be mine!_'

….

 **Whorl Arcology, Ground Entrance**

Naruto led Benibara Steelside and Wilhelm Kraven the rest of the way to the Whorl Arcology without further problems. More hostile wildlife appeared but quickly scampered away when Naruto unleashed his killing intent upon them. The group of three arrived at the Ground Entrance to Whorl and found it was heavily fortified with lots of gun emplacements and armored troops. A spotlight turned on to them in the twilight as they approached and a voice boomed out over a speaker. "HALT! Identify yourselves and state your business at Whorl Arcology!"

Benibara took command at this point. She frowned. " _I_ am Benibara Steelside you cretins! Open the doors and let us pass before I become cross. I've had a long and tiring walk home and you are barring my path."

Murmurs went through the armored troops and the reinforced door soon opened revealing several people in medical garb that completely hid their features. "Please forgive our impertinence Lady Steelside." said a medic. "Please enter and we will detoxify you and your companions from the streets."

The three travelers were ushered in and the medics immediately started running rod like scanners over them for toxins. One medic came up with a pistol shaped scanner and took readings from the back of Benibara and Kraven's necks. "Your medical biochips show you are both very stressed mentally but physically unhurt. We need you to strip off your clothes and step into the detoxification stalls." Benibara was obviously irritated and griped about the inconvenience of it all but stepped into the next room. Kraven simply waited his turn….

The medics came over to Naruto and started scanning when one said, "He's _covered_ in heavy water! Take him in for a full decontamination. I can't even get a reading on his biochip. It may be damaged." The medics tried to hustle Naruto into a separate room but the blonde wasn't budging. "What the hell are you people trying to do?" asked Naruto angrily.

Kraven came over and said reassuringly, "Mr. Uzumaki, You are contaminated with heavy water. I know you've never been inside an Arcology before but you need to be thoroughly cleansed so no one else gets contaminated or sick from it. Trust me, it is perfectly safe and the medical staff here means you no harm. They are professionals."

"What do you mean he's never been inside an Arcology?" asked a medic in confusion.

Kraven simply said, "He is from outside the barrier and is under the protection of the Steelside family. These are by the orders of Lady Benibara Steelside herself. The family will sort out the legal matters and his citizenship papers after he is decontaminated. I trust you don't want to incur my Mistress' wrath."

The medic cringed. "No, no! Of course not. We will take good care of Mr…?

"My name is Uzumaki, Uzumaki Naruto." said the disgruntled ninja. "What exactly are you people going to do?"

We're going to take you in that room where you can disrobe and we can thoroughly cleanse you and give you a medical checkup. Once we are done with that we will provide you with clean clothing and dispose of your old, contaminated clothes."

"What about my weapons and belongings?" asked Naruto.

"Weapons?" asked the medic in a shocked tone. "T-they will be decontaminated and held here until the Steelside family gets you a weapons permit or you leave Whorl."

"I'm disliking this more and more with every second Kraven." growled Naruto. "Tell Lady Benibara to forget about owing me anything. I'm heading back out into the streets."

"Mr. Uzumaki please be reasonable!" pleaded Kraven. "Long exposure to heavy water could make you very, _very_ sick or even kill you. You must be cautious."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "And my weapons…?"

"I assure you they will be returned to you as soon as possible." said Kraven. "You are new to Lyonesse. Let the Steelside family help you get settled. They do owe you a great deal for saving Lady Benibara's life."

"Fine." huffed Naruto. "None of my gear better turn up missing or there'll be hell to pay." He went through the door with the three slightly frightened medics.

Kraven sighed. "Whew; I was afraid he'd lose his temper for a moment." Then a medic took Kraven to the same detoxification chamber that Lady Benibara had just vacated….

….

Meanwhile; Benibara was in the waiting room and cleared to enter the Arcology. She was detoxified but as her dress was contaminated the platinum blonde was currently wearing white medical robe. Her hair was down as well since it also had to be washed thoroughly. Benibara was a bit disgusted with her current appearance and had already called home to bring her some _proper_ clothes. She certainly wasn't going to be seen in public dressed like _this!_ A few minutes later her Mother Rosalie arrived. She was beautiful and looked like an older version of her daughter with amber colored eyes. However; Rosalie looked kind instead of cold and strict like her child.

"You had us frightened to death when your limo went down Benibara! What happened to you out there and where are Wilhelm and your Enforcers?" Rosalie asked worriedly.

"Everything is under control Mama." said the Steelside heiress. "Kraven is getting decontaminated and I have a new Enforcer of sorts. I'm sure you and Daddy will approve of him."

Rosalie raised an eyebrow. "Then _where_ are your old Enforcers _Benibara Steelside?_ "

"They're kind of ummm….dead Mama." said Benibara dreading the reaction she was going to get.

" ** _WHAAAT?!_** _Tell me what happened young lady and tell me **right now!**_ " screeched Rosalie.

Benibara said with cold eyes, "Please let us discuss this at home in private! You're making a scene Mama."

Rosalie's amber eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. "If I want to make a scene over the safety of my daughter's life then I _will_ make a scene damn it! Just because I'm one of your Father's Mistresses and not his wife doesn't mean I can't tell you what to do little girl. I don't care if you _are_ the sole heir of the Steelside Family fortune! When we get home you have _a lot_ of explaining to do."

Mother and daughter glared at each other for a few moments until Benibara looked down and said, "I'm sorry I worried you Mama."

Rosalie calmed down and hugged her child. She said, "You know I'm only upset because I love you Benibara. Never forget you are your Father and I's most precious treasure."

Benibara hated how her Mama could break through her carefully constructed barriers that made Benibara Steelside the aloof and untouchable socialite she was and the sole heir to the Steelside fortune. The younger woman figured she'd never be able to stop wanting her parent's affections….

Kraven exited the decontamination chamber a few moments later also wearing a white robe. "Lady Rosalie, I'm so glad to see you in good health. I'm sure Lady Benibara is as well."

Rosalie smiled. "It's good to see you as well Wilhelm. You should wear white more often. I can't remember the last time I saw you in something other than a drab grey or black tux. Benibara says you hired a new Enforcer?"

Smiling, Kraven said, "Mr. Uzumaki should be out in a little bit. I'm afraid he was heavily contaminated so it may take a while. If I may say so myself; I believe Mr. Uzumaki would be an _excellent_ protector for Lady Benibara. Once we are all safely behind closed doors there is a great deal to discuss. We owe Mr. Uzumaki a great debt of gratitude."

" _I see_." said Rosalie rather intrigued.

….

In the meantime the blonde ninja was in a tiled room and had been blasted with several coats of different colored liquids and scrubbed raw by three medics. Now he was naked and was being air dried by blowers in the center of the room. As he stood in the designated circle in the middle of the room he felt completely exposed and embarrassed. He heard a male medic's voice come over the speaker. "You are one hundred percent decontaminated Mr. Uzumaki Naruto. How do you feel now that you are all squeaky clean?"

" ** _Violated_** …." said Naruto in a chilled voice.

"…."

"…."

"Well, um….sorry about that." said the medic's voice uneasily. "I assure you that the medical check won't be nearly as invasive. Let me ask you a few questions before we start the scan about your cybernetic implants. Do you have a datajack?"

"No"

"Wired reflex enhancements?"

"No"

"Any cybernetic replacement parts such as limbs or organs?"

"No"

"Biochip enhancements?"

"No"

"Adrenal booster chips?"

'No"

"How about visual recorder chips?"

"Look, I really **_hate_** to interrupt but I don't know about _any_ of the stuff you're talking about. Me right forearm is a cloned replacement for the one I lost in battle. I don't have any mechanical parts inside my body…." said the frustrated blonde ninja.

The medic's voice paused and said very unsurely, "Are you saying your body is one hundred percent biological?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, where I come from we don't have any of the things you're talking about. Sticking mechanical parts into your body sounds kind of bizarre to me."

"Okaaay." said the medic. "Just stand still and the lasers will map your body and check your physical condition. We'll have a scan soon and provided there are no abnormalities we'll let you get dressed."

"Just get on with it please." groaned the blonde.

"Right; hold still please." said the medic. Naruto saw a ring of lasers emit from the ceiling and starting with his head then moved down his entire body at an agonizingly slow pace. Ten minutes later they hit his toes and turned off leaving him blinking from the light intensity.

 _Inside the scanning room_ ….

"This is….unbelievable." said the doctor checking the scans. "I've never seen a human specimen this close to ideal before. His physique is perfect."

"I'll say; he's hung like a horse." said his lady assistant.

"Mari, will you behave like a professional and stop eye-humping the subject?" asked the doctor.

"Why should I doctor?" asked Mari indignantly. "I've seen sculptures of the human form that don't look _near_ this good. _Every_ part of him is lean muscle. Look at these scans! There's not one bit of waste or excess fat upon him. Just _look_ at that body and tell me you don't feel _something_ –aside of _inadequacy_ of course. I bet he's an absolute _animal_ in the sack. I wonder if he's single."

The doctor grit his teeth at Mari's insults and then smiled cruelly, "He's under the _personal_ protection of Lady Benibara Steelside; Mari"

" _Nooooooo!_ " wailed Mari. "Why are all the good ones always taken or gay?" she lamented.

 _…._

Naruto heard the now smug sounding voice of the doctor came over the speakers. "Mr. Uzumaki, feel free to get dressed in that robe we provided. You are in _perfect_ health. I'm sure once the Steelside family gets you citizenship you may wish to get a medical biochip installed just in case. Once you're dressed please exit through the door with the lights on above it. Have a nice day."

The Sage would have sworn he heard a woman's voice wailing in the background…. _'Oh, well. I really don't want to know_.' he thought to himself.

A few minutes later Naruto stepped out into the waiting room where Benibara and the others were waiting. "Mr. Uzumaki, I trust you are all decontaminated?" asked Kraven.

Naruto recoiled slightly. "Yes, I'm _quite_ clean Mr. Kraven. Unfortunately they've impounded all my belongings and destroyed my clothes so all I have is this robe on my back."

Rosalie piped up, "Not to worry Mr. Uzumaki. I'm Rosalie Benibara; Benibara's Mother. I understand we owe you a great deal of gratitude so we'll provide you with some new clothing."

Naruto bowed slightly, "It's nice to meet you Lady Rosalie. I hope we can get along. Where might your daughter be? Is she still getting decontaminated?"

"No, she's getting dressed. I had to bring her some clothing to wear since she couldn't bear to be seen in public wearing a medical robe." answered Rosalie with a smile.

"I see." said Naruto with a sweat drop.

Soon Benibara came out dressed in a suit/skirt combination with a gear pattern on it and her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She looked like a CEO headed towards a board meeting. The platinum blonde looked at her Mother and said, "This is the best I could do with what little I had."

Rosalie smiled. "You look lovely as always my dear. Shall we go to the car? I believe Wilhelm would like to get dressed and we need to get some clothing picked out for Mr. Uzumaki. I'm afraid the robe is all he has right now."

The car ride proved to be an odd experience for Naruto. He'd been in a carriage before but this hovering box shaped thing was completely alien to him. Rosalie seemed very interested in him and where he was from. It felt like a job interview or something to the whisker marked ninja with all of the questions she was asking. He was surprised that she didn't ask about the trip from the streets to Whorl but figured the Benibara was keeping quiet about it for some reason. Kraven was gently explaining the situation and Rosalie seemed to be very pleasant. Naruto was glad Rosalie wasn't like her daughter Benibara; the girl acted like a spoiled princess as far as he was concerned….

….

 **The Steelside Mansion**

Magnus Steelside was immensely relieved. He'd just gotten off the phone with his beautiful Rosalie and their precious daughter Benibara was unhurt. He wanted to know everything that happened but Rosalie told him Benibara didn't want to talk about it until they were home in private. Magnus was a large and very powerfully built man in his late forties with blonde hair and a full beard who was the de facto ruler of Whorl Arcology. He was also an exceptional martial artist. Magnus found out long ago after he divorced his wife and had many mistresses that he could probably never have children. There were artificial ways in other arcologies but such things were frowned upon in Whorl.

Then he met Rosalie who was a model. He took her in as one of his mistresses and by some miracle she became pregnant with his child. There was lots of suspicion that he wasn't the Father but the paternity tests came back positive and his precious treasure Benibara was born. Benibara was beautiful like her Mother but she got her light green Steelside eyes and strict personality from Magnus. The Steelside patriarch couldn't be more proud of his daughter. Benibara was being trained as his successor in the weapons industry and in the martial arts just as he had been by his own Father. She was currently being a socialite as far as the nation of Lyonesse was concerned but in reality she wasn't social at all. Benibara was building up a network of 'friends' that would be useful to her later. The only thing Magnus didn't approve of was his daughter's habit of going through men like toilet paper. He just hoped she didn't wind up pregnant by some singer or movie star….

Magnus often thought about making Rosalie his wife. As he'd grown older he found more and more that it was her company alone that he desired most. She was much closer to him than his ex-wife or various other mistresses had ever been. There were no secrets between them and he truly loved her. She had been content to be his mistress for nearly two decades and he was afraid that if they took that final step that the beautiful relationship they shared would be ruined somehow….Magnus was so lost in his in his thoughts that he almost missed the call that Rosalie and Benibara were home. Straightening his impeccable business suit Whorl's leader went down to meet them at the garage.

The light green eyed man arrived at the garage just in time to see Rosalie and Benibara step out of the limo. Magnus noticed his daughter looked rather disheveled and had to wonder what happened but before anything he embraced Benibara in his arms feeling glad she was safe at home. He then hugged Rosalie who looked fabulous as always. Turning back to Benibara he said, "How are you precious?"

"I'm just glad to be home Daddy." She said leaning against him. It was at times like these Benibara felt like a little girl again; safe in the arms of her Mama and Daddy.

Wilhelm Kraven stepped out of the limo looking less than dapper in his white medical robe. Magnus chuckled and said, "Wilhelm, I can't say the ' _I just got out of the shower'_ look is the image you usually project." Magnus Steelside was known to be _very_ particular about the way his employees dressed. The Steelside family had an image to uphold. In this case though; he was joking. Wilhelm had been a manservant to the family for decades and obviously they'd had a rough time.

The goateed Wilhelm chuckled weekly. "I don't think the ' _I just got detoxified after travelling out in the streets_ ' look suits me either sir." Magnus laughed.

That's when Naruto clambered out of the limo also wearing a white robe and Magnus raised an eyebrow. ' _Where are Benibara's Enforcers and who is this young man? I hope he isn't one of Benibara's boy toys. I told her specifically not to bring them home with her_.' That's when the Steelside patriarch noticed Naruto's whisker marks. ' _Are those tattoos?!_ ' he wondered.

Wilhelm spoke up. "Lord Magnus, allow me to present Mr. Uzumaki Naruto. He saved both my and Lady Benibara's lives after her two Enforcers died. Mr. Uzumaki, this is Lady Benibara's Father, Lord Magnus Steelside. He is the patriarch of the Steelside family and a powerful figure here in the Whorl Arcology."

Naruto bowed and said, "It's nice to meet you sir."

Magnus was a bit taken aback. "You saved my daughter's life Mr. Uzumaki?" he asked surprised.

Naruto was about to reply when Benibara interrupted. "Uzumaki Naruto saved Kraven and I from over twenty thugs of Mr. Ren and ended that crook himself without asking for payment in return. We owe him a great debt of gratitude Daddy."

Kraven added, "He did that and more Lord Magnus."

The big man held out his hand a shook Naruto's vigorously. Naruto noticed that Magnus had a powerful grip and adjusted his to match it. "I thank you Mr. Uzumaki for saving my precious treasure's life. I'm very interested in hearing exactly what happened. Perhaps we should all sit down and talk together."

Rosalie smiled, "Magnus, we should get some appropriate clothes for Mr. Uzumaki and let everyone eat before we have a discussion. Can't you see they're all famished?"

The Steelside family patriarch covered up his faux pas with a cough and said, "Of course; we'll do just that." He snapped his fingers and two maids came up. "Take Mr. Uzumaki to a luxury guest room and get him some proper clothes. Let him tidy up and dinner will be served promptly at seven o'clock."

The two maids curtseyed and went to lead Naruto off but Kraven said; "If I may sir; Mr. Uzumaki is new to Lyonesse so he made need some help with our technology and way of dress."

Magnus and the two maids goggled for a moment before Magnus said, "What do you mean by ' _new_ ' to Lyonesse Wilhelm?"

"Mr. Uzumaki was covered in heavy water and came from _outside_ the barrier Lord Steelside. Lady Benibara and I _literally_ saw him fall out of the sky." explained Wilhelm.

Seeing Benibara nod in agreement Magnus said, "Well, _that_ was unexpected." Turning to the two maids again he added, "Make sure to stay in the room with Mr. Uzumaki and tend to his needs."

….

Two hours later the orange loving ninja was at dinner with his had a terribly embarrassing time with the two maids showing him how all the bathroom fixtures worked and how to get dressed. Now the Sage was in an expensive dress suit that restricted his movements to the degree that he felt like he was in a straight jacket. As he sat at the dinner table; Naruto was wondering what the hell he was eating and how he should act. He knew it was some sort of fish and apparently seaweed but that was as far as he got. The whiskered blonde was carefully observing the way the others ate so he wouldn't make a mistake with his table manners. Naruto figured Magnus Steelside was something akin to a daimyo so he was trying to behave. ' _I'd sell my soul for some ramen right now_ ….' he that dourly. At any rate, Magnus seemed to be observing him intensely and Lady Rosalie was pretty much carrying the conversation along with Naruto giving the appropriate answers when necessary. He noticed Benibara was shooting him glances from time to time but couldn't figure out why.

After dinner they came into a large room with sofas and were rejoined by Kraven much to Naruto's relief. Kraven seemed to be the only one that was willing to take the time to explain things in Lyonesse to him. Naruto was essentially a stranger in a strange land….

"….So you believe Ren was behind all of it Benibara?" asked Magnus.

Benibara nodded. "Yes, Mr. Ren said it was his intention to kill everyone but me and hold me hostage while having his way with me." Magnus crushed the metal mug he had in his hand when he heard this. "However, Mr. Uzumaki took the fight to him and when it was all over Ren and most of his thugs were dead. The remaining ones were disabled or unconscious. After that Mr. Uzumaki agreed to escort us back here to Whorl." Then Benibara got excited. "He even killed two dire wolves to protect us! He killed one of them with _his bare hands!_ "

Magnus wondered if his daughter had a head injury. So did Rosalie. "Wilhelm; did you actually run in to anything even _akin_ to dire wolves?" ask Rosalie.

Kraven was hoping Lady Benibara would leave that part out. It was all true but even having experienced it he found it hard to believe. The manservant figured to others it would sound ludicrous. "….I know it sounds unbelievable Lady Rosalie but Mr. Uzumaki did in fact kill a full grown dire wolf by crushing its throat _with his bare hand_. If I had not been there I wouldn't believe it myself but I saw it happen."

"It really did happen Daddy!" said Benibara irritably.

Magnus tapped his forehead and said, "Not even Master Xian*① could accomplish such a feat Benibara. I'm sure you're both mistaken."

"I believe Naruto is stronger than Master Xian Daddy." she said in an indignant tone. Then Benibara got a gleam in her eye. "I'd even be willing to place a wager on it."

Magnus got a matching gleam in his eye to his daughter's. Light green eyes stared into light green eyes for a few moments until Magnus grinned. "You're serious then." His daughter nodded. "Alright, if you're _that_ confident how about we bet on you singing twice at the Steelside Gala next month when I win?"

Rosalie sighed. The yearly Steelside Gala was an _event_ that Benibara always sang at. She had a voice like an angel and loved to sing in private but she _despised_ singing in public. Every year Benibara agreed to sing once after much coercion from her Father and inevitably Magnus and Benibara would end up making some silly wager that she would have to sing twice instead.. Magnus had _never_ lost a bet but it didn't stop Benibara from trying again _every single year_.

Benibara smiled predatorily and said, "If I lose I'll sing twice but if I win I don't sing at all. Naruto will win."

Magnus held out his hand to shake on it. "Done." Both Father and daughter smiled evilly while Rosalie shook her head.

"You _will_ fight for me won't you Naruto?" asked Benibara with puppy dog eyes.

Naruto had two thoughts. ' _The cold hard ice princess looking at me like that is just….wrong_ ' and ' _Since when am I Naruto to her instead of Mr. Uzumaki?_' Naruto asked, "Are you asking me to spar with someone? I'm not entering a death match for some wager."

Magnus laughed boomingly. "Were asking for you to have a friendly spar with our local master of the martial arts; Master Xian. I assure you he won't hurt you too badly."

Naruto perked up then. "Well, I'm always up for a spar but I can't fight in these clothes; they are too restricting."

Benibara was beaming at him. "We'll get you some appropriate sparring clothes Naruto."

"When is the spar then?" asked Naruto.

Rosalie was feeling the déjà vu and said. "Let's set it up in the morning after breakfast. I believe we are all drained from today's events."

"I can't wait to hear more of that lovely voice of yours precious." teased Magnus.

"I can't wait for the peace and quiet of a silent gala Daddy." quipped Benibara.

Rosalie motioned to Kraven, "Wilhelm; I think you and Mr. Uzumaki have had a long day. Why don't you escort Naruto to his guest room so you both can get some sleep? Tomorrow will probably be….taxing for him."

As Kraven led Naruto off they could both hear Father and Daughter taunting one another….they were like two peas in a pod….

….

 **Master Xian's Dojo**

After breakfast in the morning, Magnus eagerly led Naruto and the others into the dojo. He was enthusiastically looking forward to winning the bet with his daughter. He also was excited to see if Mr. Uzumaki held a candle to Master Xian. Everything Magnus knew about fighting was taught to him by Master Xian. The old master was so powerful he once told Magnus that a fight could be decided by merely looking into the eyes of one's opponent. Magnus could believe it. More than once Magnus got arrogant with his fighting skills when he was younger and Xian could humble him with just a glare before he proceeded to put Magnus in his place physically.

Master Xian was an aging man that was incredibly physically fit. He had a shaved bald head and an iron gray moustache and wore a simple white fighting gi. His presence was not one of overwhelming power but rather wisdom. Xian was sitting in the lotus position meditating in his dojo when his student Magnus entered. "Master Xian; I bid you greetings."

Xian looked up seeing his pupil and said. "Magnus my boy, it's good of you to come see this old man -and you brought little Benibara too. I trust you're here to make sure her skills are up to par. The girl doesn't practice enough. It's good to see you as well Lady Rosalie. While I'm happy to see you it's unusual. What's the occasion?"

Magnus coughed and said, "Actually Master, Benibara has a potential new enforcer that I'd like you to spar with to gage his proficiency if it's not too much trouble."

Xian sweat dropped. "You and little Benibara made another wager didn't you Magnus?" asked Xian in a resigned tone.

Magnus laughed weakly and said, "Well, something like that."

Xian stood up and said, "Very well. I'm not a circus performer to entertain you but since you are entrusting Lady Benibara's protection with this person I will test them. Bring this person before me."

Magnus motioned Naruto forward and said, "This is Mr. Uzumaki Naruto Master. Naruto, this is Master Xian, one of the strongest fighters in the world and my teacher. I'll bet you could learn lot from Master Xian if he finds you worthy."

Naruto stepped forward and bowed before he locked eyes with Xian and felt a crushing killing intent from the old man. Naruto unleashed his own killing intent that easily matched Xian's. The two kept ratcheting up their killing intent and the others in the room felt like they were suffocating from the pressure. Rosalie and Kraven were both completely petrified. Benibara knew what was going on but was still very frightened. Magnus was sweating profusely. He'd felt severe killing intent in matches he'd participated in but they were _nothing_ on par with this. For his part Master Xian's brown eyes were locked with Naruto's blue ones. Xian was sweating heavily. Naruto's azure pools spoke of fathomless power. Xian was giving his all but Naruto didn't seem to be phased in any way.

Finally, Xian vanished. Magnus had _never_ seen his Master move so fast in his life. Naruto fell into his toad stance and defended a minute or two as Xian tried unsuccessfully to break his iron like defense. ' _He seems to use something similar to the Strong Fist. He's not nearly as good as Lee but he's still a Jonin level in tiajutsu_.' Naruto thought to himself. The Sage started a counterattack and the edges of his hands glowed with chakra. Naruto struck like a bolt of lightning and shattered Xian's defense; landing a _brutal_ open palm into the older man's solar plexus that knocked the wind out of Xian and sent the old Master tumbling back. Xian laid still for a few moments before he struggled to sit back up.

Xian was wheezing from the impact and shakily settled back down in the lotus position. "I cannot defeat this one Magnus; Mr. Uzumaki had already won when I locked eyes with him. I concede."

The oppressive killing intent vanished and Naruto bowed again and said, "Thank you for the spar although I don't appreciate you using killing strikes against me."

Xian bowed his head, "I beg your forgiveness Mr. Uzumaki but I knew it was the only way I could think of to possibly defeat you. I am truly humbled by your fighting prowess. Tell me, where do you hail from? I've never seen a style such as yours."

"I'm from outside the barrier of Lyonesse. I come from a village called Konoha." explained Naruto as he sat down across from Master Xian in a meditative position.

"Then you are a Master there no doubt?" asked Xian.

"I am a Sage." stated Naruto.

Xian's eyes went wide. " _A Sage?!_ No wonder you defeated me with such ease. Even in my prime I would not have stood a chance against you. Thank you for holding back against me."

Magnus was openly gawking as the two fighters talked. Naruto had spent a minute or so gauging Master Xian's skill and then ended the fight _in one hit_. Master Xian was a champion who lost only _one fight_ in his entire career in the inter-arcology competitions and he lost to the champion in the final bout. The Steelside Patriarch was in awe….

For her part Benibara was thrilled. She wanted to squeal like a fangirl but managed to control herself. She'd hoped Naruto would win but he totally dominated Master Xian. It was incredible!

Wilhelm and Rosalie were just glad it was over. The pressure from the killing intent had been so overwhelming they could hardly breathe.

Finally Benibara broke the quiet with an evil crackling that should have been accompanied by lightning and thunder. "Guess who _doesn't_ have to sing this year _Daddy!_ Bwahahaha!"

Reality suddenly hit Magnus like a ton of bricks and he cried out. " _Noooooo!_ " He adored hearing his little girl sing. Rosalie watched with a flat look on her face as her lover and baby girl made absolute fools of themselves over something as trivial as _singing_ ….

….

Later that same day; Benibara Steelside railroaded things through and Naruto got his citizenship papers and a job as her _personal_ Enforcer in record time. Normally it took months to become a citizen and get a weapons permit but with the Steelside family finances pushing things along it took mere hours. Now the heiress had dragged the whiskered blonde down to the clothiers that specialized in combat gear called _Slate's_ (which was coincidentally owned by the Steelside family as well). In reality, Benibara pulled Naruto in there to play dress up with him (after all, what good's an Enforcer if they don't look stylish?) Besides, the light green eyed beauty would have been lying if she said she didn't find the blue eyed ninja attractive. But then again, why wouldn't she be attracted to a man with so much raw power?

Naruto was sitting and quietly going through his gear they'd picked up from decontamination. "What a mess…." he muttered under his breath. ' _My shuriken, kunai knives and ninja wire are all okay. The smoke and flash bombs were okay too. But my scrolls and various tags were al demolished by the heavy water_.' He decided to do his best to unseal his stuff from the damaged scrolls when he got back to the room he was staying at in the Steelside Mansion. If he could unseal things he could make new scrolls with his sealing supplies as well as new explosive notes. ' _I wonder if Hinata-chan and Shizuka are alright_ ….' he wondered. ' _I've been so caught up in my situation that I haven't had time to think of a plan to find them_ ….'

Then he heard three people marching towards him and looked up to see Benibara there with two _Slate's_ clerks…."I want him dressed in _Casual Badass_." she said to the male and female clerks that whipped out measuring tapes as if they were weapons….

Naruto wondered ' ** _What the fuck?_** ' as the clerks closed upon him like hungry predators. Soon; Naruto was being shown everything that was padded and leather with faux chain mail and spikes so that he too could be a _Casual Badass_. Finally at his wit's end after being forced to try on numerous outfits that looked more like something out of an action movie than proper ninja attire he said "Hold it! I need combat gear to _protect_ you with Lady Benibara. I'm not here to put on a damn fashion show!" The clerks gasped at his audacity in the way he spoke back to Lady Benibara as if he was her _equal_ or something. They waited for her legendary temper to explode at the disrespectful blonde Enforcer….

Benibara raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Very well Naruto; what would _you_ pick out? If it looks good on you I'll approve." The clerks were baffled that she hadn't detonated like a bomb.

….

After getting all the _Casual Badass_ stuff away from him Naruto looked at one of the clerks and asked, "What do you have in mesh armor?" The male clerk tried to show the blonde examples of heavy combat chainmail and objected to Naruto's choice of some lighter weight armored mesh because it wouldn't stop bullets. The Sage shook his head and explained, "Mesh armor is good for knife fights and hand to hand. The best way to prevent injury from bullets is speed, agility and flexibility that the heavy gage chainmail would prevent. Let me check the fit on these three brands." he said pointing towards three light to medium weight types. Then Naruto went on to pick out non-reflective clothing that made no noise went it rubbed against other surfaces.

What was really an injustice in Naruto's mind was there was no _orange_ –everything was gray patterns of urban camouflage. He was sitting down trying on some metal toed combat boots (apparently they didn't have heavy gage sandals in Lyonesse) when he heard a slight whirring noise. The whiskered ninja looked over his shoulder and saw an eight foot fully armored person or robot aiming and arm mounted gun at them. He yelled "Get down!" as he tackled Benibara to the floor and shoved the two clerks down as well. A spray of bullets shot over their heads wrecking everything in the store. Naruto had Benibara cradled below him a lowered her to the floor. She was obviously terrified from the look in her light green eyes.

One of the clerks shrieked, " _Where are the Security Police?!_ That's a class three military grade cyborg! They aren't allowed inside of Whorl!"

Naruto peeked over the bench and saw the gunmetal colored cyborg stepping forward slowly through the smoke and debris from the first attack. It had some sort of laser sight and was searching about to see if the initial salvo it fired had done the job. There were screams and the sounds of people running away outside but the cyborg ignored the noise and focused all its attention on its target(s). Naruto saw the empty clip from the machine gun fall to the floor as the cyborg pulled out another clip to reload. The orange loving ninja pried himself loose from Benibara's death grip on him and whispered, "Stay down and stay quiet. I'll deal with this."

Naruto drew a kunai and darted it into the cyborg's gun barrel just as the man-machine opened fire again. With the kunai jammed in the muzzle the shots went off prematurely and totally demolished the gun. The cyborg was staggered by the blowback from the explosion and wasn't prepared at all when Naruto appeared in front of it with an oodama rasengan in hand. The results were predictably catastrophic as the rasengan ground through the heavy chest armor into the soft human flesh behind it. The massive torque of the rasengan kicked in about halfway through sending the gunmetal giant spinning with a gaping hole completely through its chest and out its back….

The metal giant flew out of the shop through a wall and into a polished stone bench outside having lost its good arm and breaking both its legs off at the knees in the process of spinning rapidly through the metal wall. The stone bench was reduced to gravel from the massive impact. It twitched a couple of times and then fell silent. Naruto stepped out to have a look at the body and found the armored cover/helmet had been blown off. It was a man with gouts out blood flowing from his mouth and nose. There was no doubt he was dead. Naruto walked back into the store and said. "He's dead. It's safe to get back up now."

Benibara looked up over the bench she'd taken refuge behind and saw Naruto standing there with his right arm up to the elbow dripping with blood. She'd been holding on to the blonde for dear life when he suddenly vanished and she heard the explosion of the gun. A second later she heard a horrific sound of tearing metal followed by a screaming/gargling noise combined with the sounds of a garbage disposal grinding. Then there had been a massive crash followed by dead silence. Now Naruto was standing out in the open facing her and the two clerks that had also stood up. She said, "Naruto; there's b-blood! Lots of blood on your arm! We need to call a medic and-"

"It's not my blood Lady Benibara. It's the enemy's. I'm fine; see?" said Naruto as he wiggled his fingers and flexed his arm. "I do need to wash up though. I-" He was cut off as the Steelside heiress hurled herself against his chest in a hug and started crying her eyes out.

"I w-was so scared!" she cried as she clung to Naruto for dear life. He gently wrapped his clean arm around her and took her over to the bench to sit down. The Sage did his best to comfort the distraught girl. The two clerks were thanking him profusely and were all out of sorts.

The Whorl Security Police Forces arrived minutes later armed to the teeth with anti-cyborg equipment. Their Commander came over and looked at the shattered remains of the military grade cyborg and said, "What in the hell happened here?" He came in and heard Naruto talking calmly to one of his troops who was taking statements from the witnesses.

Naruto explained, "That cyborg tried to kill Lady Benibara so I dealt with him accordingly as I am her Enforcer. Once I eliminated the threat I came back in to make sure everyone was okay. You guys arrived a few minutes later."

"Why is there blood all over your arm when you say you're not hurt?" asked the security officer.

"I just rammed my arm up to the elbow through that man's chest so of course I'm covered in his blood!" explained Naruto as if the officer was a complete idiot.

The Police Commander shook his head and called in the medics. Lady Benibara and the store clerks were a bit shell-shocked (with good reason) and they all needed to be checked over for injuries; especially the Enforcer. One thing was certain; this was going to make a hell of a report to his superiors…. _'Lord Magnus is **not** going to be happy_.' thought the Commander….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① Xian: It's pronounced "Shan."

This chapter ran _extremely_ long due to corrections and whatnot. I originally was going to cut it down in length but would have ended up with a cliffhanger at the cyborg scene. Anyway, mainly character development and world building with bits of action thrown in here and there. Lyonesse is still a big mystery to Naruto and he's trying to soak it all in. Next chapter we'll see more character development and the story behind the cyborg's attack. See you next time. Blue out. 12/16/18 -Original Version 3/27/15


	3. Chapter 3

**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter took some serious restructuring because it was my first attempt at multiple plot lines which resulted in it being very choppy. The next couple of chapters have a lot of the same thing and I'm doing my best to smooth and rearrange the transitions. At any rate it should be smoothed out once we start the new chapters. Here is Chapter 3. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Special thanks goes out to **SPeCTeR-117** and **Hektols** for helping me out with this chapter.

Last time:

 _Naruto walked back into the store and said. "He's dead. It's safe to get back up now."_

 _Benibara looked up over the bench she'd taken refuge behind and saw Naruto standing there with his right arm up to the elbow dripping with blood. She'd been holding on to the blonde for dear life when he suddenly vanished and she heard the explosion of the gun. A second later she heard a horrific sound of tearing metal followed by a screaming/gargling noise combined with the sounds of a garbage disposal grinding. Then there had been a massive crash followed by dead silence. Now Naruto was standing out in the open facing her and the two clerks that had also stood up. She said, "Naruto; there's b-blood! Lots of blood on your arm! We need to call a medic and-"_

 _"_ _It's not my blood Lady Benibara. It's the enemy's. I'm fine; see?" said Naruto as he wiggled his fingers and flexed his arm. "I do need to wash up though. I-" He was cut off as the Steelside heiress hurled herself against his chest in a hug and started crying her eyes out._

 _"_ _I w-was so scared!" she cried as she clung to Naruto for dear life. He gently wrapped his clean arm around her and took her over to the bench to sit down. The Sage did his best to comfort the distraught girl. The two clerks were thanking him profusely and were all out of sorts._

 _The Whorl Security Police Forces arrived minutes later armed to the teeth with anti-cyborg equipment. Their Commander came over and looked at the shattered remains of the military grade cyborg and said, "What in the hell happened here?" He came in and heard Naruto talking calmly to one of his troops who was taking statements from the witnesses._

 _Naruto explained, "That cyborg tried to kill Lady Benibara so I dealt with him accordingly as I am her Enforcer. Once I eliminated the threat I came back in to make sure everyone was okay. You guys arrived a few minutes later."_

 _"_ _Why is there blood all over your arm when you say you're not hurt?" asked the security officer._

 _"_ _I just rammed my arm up to the elbow through that man's chest so of course I'm covered in his blood!" explained Naruto as if the officer was a complete idiot._

 _The Police Commander shook his head and called in the medics. Lady Benibara and the store clerks were a bit shell-shocked (with good reason) and they all needed to be checked over for injuries; especially the Enforcer. One thing was certain; this was going to make a hell of a report to his superiors…._ _' Lord Magnus is __**not**_ _going to be happy_ _. ' thought the Commander…. _

_…_ _._

 **Chapter 3**

 **Whorl Arcology, Steelside Mansion**

The medics submitted a report on Naruto's physical condition after his battle with the cyborg and found he was in perfect health. They claimed he healed at an accelerated rate and were amazed. The blonde didn't mention he had a healing factor. Naruto also neglected to mention Kurama to the medics but that was simply common sense. Blurting out to everyone you have a ten story tall fox spirit stuck in your gut probably wouldn't get the best response (or at worst they'd want to dissect you). Speaking of said fox spirit; Naruto had been meditating earlier and found Kurama was very low on chakra and in a _deep_ sleep. He wondered how long it would be before his friend woke up and what could have caused such a massive chakra drain on the fox.

Naruto had been trying to reach out and find Hinata and Shizuka using Ninshū techniques but found no sign of them. ' _Damn_.' thought Naruto. ' _Of course, if their chakra is really low they would be almost impossible to detect at long range. I hope Shizuka and Hinata-chan are okay._ ' The blonde did sense a lot of chakra users far away from him though. The orange loving ninja didn't know if he was sensing the Elemental Nations or whether there were other chakra users within Lyonesse. In either case Naruto really wasn't in a position to seek them out. The Sage made several attempts at summoning the toads and met with failure there as well. ' _I wonder if it has something to do with the barrier of heavy water that is supposed to exist around Lyonesse_.' he pondered. All in all, Naruto struck out repeatedly and was rather down about it. He was expected to dine at Lord Magnus' table again tonight and then discuss the cyborg attack from earlier that day. Naruto wasn't looking forward to that either. Sighing, the whisker faced ninja thought, _'Perhaps I'll focus on unsealing these damaged scrolls_ ….'

….

Magnus Steelside was in the Audio/Video room with his security advisor and some technicians. Master Xian there as well. On the large center screen in the room was the security footage from _Slate's Clothiers_ from earlier that day. Magnus and Xian watched as Naruto _appeared_ in front of the military grade cyborg with a glowing sphere in his hand and shoved it through the chest of the would be assassin who still had not been identified yet. The Whorl Police Security Forces had all their weapons and armor supplied by Steelside Manufacturing so if Magnus wanted to see security footage or _anything_ on an investigation it was handed over to him no questions asked….

Master Xian turned to one of the techs and said, "Slow the footage to one tenth speed and restart just before the cyborg's gun exploded. Half speed just won't do." At Magnus' nod the tech restarted the film at the designated point.

They saw a kunai flying at incredible speed that lodged itself in the gun muzzle and caused the explosion. The security advisor looked astonished and said, "Mr. Uzumaki stopped a machine gun with a simple throwing knife?! The speed and accuracy at that range and the fact the knife actually _embedded_ itself in the barrel are all unbelievable!"

Master Xian pointed at the replaying screen as they watched the knife fly once again. "Pause there." said Xian. "Look there Magnus; the blade is coated in glowing energy just as I saw Sage Naruto's hand when he struck me that once. Has he actually transferred some spiritual energy to the blade? I wonder what that glowing blade is made of."

Magnus turned to the security advisor. "Were any pieces of the blade found after the explosion? Surely there is something left we could examine."

"The knife pieces are in the hands of ballistics with the remains of the gun." answered the advisor.

"After you've reconstructed the ballistics of what happened I want you to turn the knife pieces over to our metallurgists for study." instructed the Steelside patriarch. "We may be able to reproduce those weapons and put them in production for our special forces." At the advisor's acknowledgement he turned back to the screen that was paused at the point the gun started to detonate. "Let's continue at one tenth speed."

Naruto appeared on the left side of the screen but was still a blur even at one tenth speed although his hand was obviously glowing. "Rewind and replay at on twentieth speed." ordered the bearded blonde. They watched once again as Naruto appeared and a glowing orb appeared in his hand and rapidly expanded to about a foot in diameter. Naruto had a frown of concentration etched on his face as he swept across the screen and made contact with the cyborg's heavy chest armor. "Stop!" said Magnus. "How heavy was that chest armor?" he asked the advisor.

"It should have been impervious up to .50 caliber rounds sir. At the angle Mr. Uzumaki made contact he hit the best protected area so in theory even a .50 caliber bullet would have glanced off to one side to still protect the wearer."

"Any idea about that spiritual energy Master Xian?" asked he Steelside patriarch.

"I'm puzzled as you are Magnus." answered the older man. "I've known of a few people that could channel their spiritual energy to enhance their physical strength to inflict damage but actually manifesting that power outside of the body is unprecedented to say the least."

Magnus simply shook his head befuddled. "Mr Uzumaki is quite an enigma. Continue the playback." The group watched awestruck as the oodama rasengan ground through the armor like tissue paper. The armor bent for a fraction of and second and deformed but the rasengan ground through it so hard and so fast that it left a clean circular hole in the armor rather than crushing it. Within a couple of seconds the armor was pierced and the flesh beneath it stood no chance. Blood started to appear around the edges of the spiraling sphere of death. That's when the body was caught by the torque of the rasengan and started rotating to the left.

"To lift and spin a five hundred pound cyborg means that sphere must have been rotating at incredible force and speed." said Master Xian as they watched the sphere exit the back of the cyborg and the body spin away as Naruto withdrew his arm still with a slight frown on his face. The now rapidly spinning cyborg's right arm was ripped off when it plowed through the reinforced wall behind it and the legs were both sheared off at the knees in the same manner before the metal giant cleared the wall and left the camera's point of view. Then the film switched to the outside camera and showed the rasengan exit the back of the cyborg before showing the same events from a rearward angle. The group watched in silence as the shattered man-machine finally crashed into the stone bench sending the man's cover/helmet flying off. Then they watched as Naruto came out and examined the dead man for a moment before he turned around and walked inside seemingly unperturbed except for the blood all over his right arm….

"In real time that all took place in mere seconds." said the security advisor as he wiped the perspiration from his brow.

"And the autopsy?" asked Magnus not really sure that he wanted to know.

"Mainly liquids mixed with finely ground pierces of armor. The tissue around the hole from the sphere was simply ground into shreds. Our people at the morgue assumed the male cyborg had been hit by some sort of heavy artillery from the size of the foot wide hole and the damage to the surrounding tissues."

"Damn…." said Magnus. Everyone else in the room silently agreed.

 _…_ _._

Beninbara was quietly sitting with her Mother Rosalie. She cried a lot when she first arrived at home and was in private with her Mother but Rosalie gently calmed her daughter down. She assured her Benibara that she was safe and at home where no one could hurt her. "Mama; how can I ever thank Naruto?" asked Benibara. "I….I want him here with me. I feel so safe with him near. When he held me after he killed that cyborg I felt as if nothing could harm me. I would have died twice now if it wasn't for him. ….Should I buy him a car or something?"

Rosalie smiled softly. ' _It seems that my daughter has some hero worship going on_.' "Benibara; Naruto is new to this place and seems rather humble like Master Xian does. I truly doubt he would ask you for anything. If you do decide to buy him some sort of gift at least let him settle in a few weeks and try to figure out what he likes. I honestly don't think he has ever ridden in a car before he was in the limo with us so that's probably not the best idea….You're still running on pure adrenalin. It's going to be a few days before you calm completely down. Your Daddy and I are here to take care of things for you. Besides, Magnus wants to know the reason behind that cyborg's attack and we want you safe here at the Mansion."

"Do….do you think Naruto has a girlfriend?" asked Benibara with a slight blush.

The alarm bells went off in Rosalie's head. ' _She's moving WAY too fast!'_ "Benibara, calm down. I don't think trying to date a total stranger is a good idea. He's not even from Lyonesse. Besides, he's your _Enforcer_ and an employee of yours. Mixing business and relationships is a very bad idea. Your Father once had an affair with a secretary of his and that was a _total disaster_ that hurt a lot of people emotionally and financially." _'Of course, him catching her embezzling kind of ended that relationship_.' thought Rosalie ruefully.

"You love Daddy don't you Mama?" asked Benibara.

Rosalie raised an eyebrow. ' _That was out of the blue_.' "Of course I love your Daddy, was there ever any doubt?"

Benibara shook her head 'no.' "I just wondered why you never married him. I just know if you asked him he would. Daddy would do anything for you Mama; I just know it."

Rosalie smiled. Benibara hadn't brought up this subject in _years_. Maybe the realization of her mortality was making her think a bit more deeply about things. "Benibara, I understand your Daddy better than anyone else and we love each other very deeply. But you have to remember that your Father basically runs the Whorl Arcology. There may come a time when he has to take a new wife for political or financial reasons. Then he'd have to divorce me and that would be too painful for either of us to bear. By staying his mistress I can be there for him regardless and even if he has to take a wife I know he'll come to me when his body and spirit need care and healing because he loves me best."

"It just doesn't seem fair to you Mama." sulked Benibara.

"Life in high society is very cutthroat dear." said Rosalie sagely. "There have been attempts on your Daddy's life as well. Your Daddy has had to do questionable things for the good of Steelside Industries. You already know this since you've been involved in some of the dirty work yourself….Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You have been pretending to be some sort of playgirl socialite but the fact is you've been probing for clients for Steelside Industries." Benibara looked shocked at her Mother's knowledge. "Are you truly surprised that I know Benibara? You are a smart, cunning and calculating girl but I know you and you think just like your Daddy. You hate socializing almost as much as you hate _singing_ publicly. You have a public face and a business face as well as your real face that you have around your family. None of those boys you dated ever saw your real face, but I know it well. You are my precious treasure and I love you Benibara Steelside."

Benibara embraced her Mother and cried quietly knowing that her precious Mama loved her just for who she was. The attempt on her life seemed insignificant compared to that one, simple fact….

 _…_ _._

"Success! This has been the first thing that has gone right all day." Naruto cheered. He had unsealed his damaged scroll that contained his weapons and supplies. "I have fifteen hundred each of kunai and shuriken as well as all sealing supplies." He said finishing his inventory. The whiskered blonde got out a new piece of parchment to use as his main sealing scroll and discard the old one. Naruto had two other scrolls to try to unseal. One had all his camping equipment and food and the other was pretty useless since all it had was the carcass of the dire wolf he slew in it (Looking back it was a miracle the wet scroll even worked. He supposed the heavy water hadn't soaked in and permeated it yet). The orange loving ninja soon had his ninja equipment resealed in a new scroll and was generally very pleased. Naruto looked up and realized it was getting close to dinner. Bearing this in mind he put his things away and changed into his suit that he hated wearing. He thought to himself, ' _Now that I think about it, I haven't picked out proper combat gear because that damn cyborg attacked_ ….'

….

The blonde was soon at dinner and it was _awkward_. Naruto _knew_ it was going to be awkward. Benibara was understandably still too emotional to socialize and her Mother Rosalie dined with her in private. Naruto was glad for that. ' _She just went through something very traumatic for a civilian_.' thought the spiky haired blonde. ' _I'd feel really bad for Benibara if she broke down into tears in front of everyone_.' he pondered. So dinner ended up being just Magnus, Naruto and Master Xian. They talked about the cyborg incident in detail after they finished eating and the blonde explained the very basics of chakra to them before showing them a normal rasengan that seemed to amaze both men to no end. The ninja thought to himself, ' _If a rasengan dazzles them that much then the wind rasengan and rasenshuriken might be too much for their minds to handle. I'd best stay away from anything more advanced_.' After a long conversation both Magnus and Xian seemed to comprehend it was a very dangerous assassination technique and Naruto wasn't going to be teaching it to _anybody_.

After that the Steelside Patriarch thanked Naruto profusely for saving his daughter. He said, "I realize it's your job Naruto but frankly there is no other Enforcer that could have defended Benibara against such a threat. A military grade cyborg normally takes an anti cyborg unit of ten to twenty trained men to stop them and I can't help but thank you from the bottom of my heart." The bearded blonde explained the male cyborg was an immigrant from another arcology and that they had just identified the man an hour ago from DNA. "We still don't know why this man was after my precious treasure but you can be sure that we'll find out."

Magnus exhaled. "That being said; I plan to keep Benibara safe inside the Steelside Mansion until this situation was resolved in case other parties are involved. I know my daughter isn't going to be happy about it and will probably be ranting and raving she was under some sort of ' _house arrest_ ' but I ask you to be patient with her and stay by her side to keep her safe."

"I agree with you keeping Lady Benibara indoors for the time being." said the orange loving blonde. "I promised to watch over and protect her. It _is_ my job after all."

Magnus made one other unusual request that took the orange loving ninja off guard. "Naruto; I'd like to ask a personal favor of you." said the bearded blonde. Seeing Naruto nod the Steelside Patriarch continued. "I'd like you to try to become _friends_ with Benibara since she doesn't have any real friends. I realize this is a lot to ask but she seems to trust you and that counts for a lot."

Naruto sighed internally. "I'll do my best to try Lord Magnus but I can't promise anything. My main duty is to be her bodyguard after all." Magnus seemed satisfied with that answer and dismissed Naruto from dinner.

….

Naruto was in his room after dinner. Kraven stopped in and brought a history book on Lyonesse for Naruto to read in his spare time. Naruto listened to Wilhelm as the manservant gave the short version of the nation's history. "Well Naruto, I guess it all starts about a thousand years ago. Lyonesse was a large island nation of confederated cities. It was always close to sea level so they created a barrier to keep the sea and tropical storms out with the new invention called _heavy water_. Then the nation bloomed into a massive sea power and we began conquering other lands and occasionally brought back slaves. As the centuries rolled by through slave labor and advanced technology the Nation of Lyonesse became one gigantic city from shore to shore and was ruled by an Emperor. The Empire of Lyonesse was considered not only the pinnacle of technology and civilization but also the most powerful nation in the world. Are you with me so far Naruto?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, that would explain why the streets look like the remnants of a giant city."

"Exactly." said Wilhelm. "Anyway, about three hundred years in, the Empire of Lyonesse entered a golden age of culture, science and arts and then starting falling into a steady decline around a hundred years later."

"Why would such an advanced culture fall into decline like that?" asked Naruto.

Kraven shrugged. "Well, there have been a lot of theories but so much history and technology was lost that we may never know the true reasons. The point is the Empire started to fester from within. Greed, debauchery, criminal activity….the social structures that made Lyonesse the great Empire it once was started to collapse and implode. Eventually the entire island of Lyonesse sank to the bottom of the ocean. Some say that our people had grown so corrupt that the gods themselves struck us down. Others say it was a weapon of some sort used against us by a foreign nation. Some claim it was some as yet unexplained natural disaster. Whatever the reason, the vast majority of the population was killed and only the heavy water barrier kept the ocean from crushing the rest of us into extinction."

Naruto whistled. "Damn….no wonder I didn't see any sunlight outside. It all seemed like twilight. Did anyone ever try to escape from underwater?"

Wilhelm shook his head. "We are so deep that the pressure from the sea would crush us if we open the barrier even a tiny bit. There was a group of scientist that supposedly created a _tunnel_ of heavy water right after the sinking and purportedly there was some sort of exodus. No one really knows if that's true or not but people have been trying to duplicate the process for centuries with no success. If those scientists really existed they left with everyone else."

"You say this supposed 'exodus' was about five hundred years ago Wilhelm?" asked Naruto. Wilhelm nodded and Naruto thought about Isobu's words. **"….About five hundred years later more people appeared the same way. I was able to observe them from underwater and from what I could tell they were escaping some kind of cataclysm but I have no idea what the disaster was. They weren't chakra users or invaders as far as I could tell and mainly migrated to the mainland to settle there…."** ' _They escaped to Water Country and now someone is trying to do the same thing. Hinata-chan, Shizuka and I all got sucked into a heavy water_ _tunnel_ _experiment. This could lead to an invasion of the Elemental Nations. Shit_.'

"….Naruto…?" asked Wilhelm.

Naruto snapped back to reality and said. "Sorry, the idea of all those people dying that way had me distracted. So what happened after the sinking? Is that when the arcologies were built?"

Wilhelm nodded and answered, "Well, that part is fairly well documented and is all detailed in that book I gave you to read. There were a few decades that were considered a dark age and people started build the arcologies for shelter. Arcologies came and went as they fought each other for territory. Eventually the most successful arcologies evolved into what they are today using recovered technologies from the past. There are still advanced technologies hidden out in the streets and some of the creatures you've met are results of those technologies."

"Such as…?" queried Naruto.

The manservant grimaced. "A good example would be dire wolves. The dire wolves are biomechanical creatures evolved from wolves that were created as weapons to hunt enemy troops by one of the extinct arcologies. Unfortunately the beasts went totally feral and small packs of them hunt in the streets to this day. The gods only know what all has lived, died and been created and evolved out in the streets. Supposedly dire wolves were designed to be as tame as household guard dogs but we all saw how that went. There are thirty three existing arcologies and most of them specialize in something. Here in Whorl Arcology we specialize in weapons and armor manufacturing. There was once one called Rosu-something or other that specialized in bio organic engineering. They were _way_ ahead of everyone else but an industrial accident killed them all and everything for miles around is in ruins. The remains of the place are still standing empty and dead today hundreds of years later."

Naruto soon bid Wilhelm goodnight and thanked him for his time. He soon went to bed but sleep didn't come. There was simply too much to think about. Eventually, Naruto fell into an uneasy sleep and hoped Hinata-chan and Shizuka were okay….

….

 **Rosumovi Arcology**

Lyonesse was a fairly large nation and one of the most outlying arcologies was the mysterious Rosumovi Arcology. It lay in a mostly uninhabited area known to the citizens of Lyonesse as the _Outskirts_. Legend had it the place was haunted or cursed in some fashion so people stayed away. Three hundred years ago the citizens of Rosumovi Arcology claimed to have perfected artificial life forms and then arcology suddenly went silent. The Rosumovi had long been highly active in manufacturing and was highly advanced as well as defended. Now it was a strange tower shaped place that no one had dared to visit for centuries. A lethal chemical gas had spilled out of the place and killed _everyone_ within a twenty mile radius. The _Rosumovi Disaster_ was viewed as a horrible tragedy by the people of Lyonesse and the apparent deaths of **_all_** of the inhabitants there led to a massive movement in various Arcologies towards safer fuels and environmentally safe practices. It hadn't eliminated war between the various arcologies or destruction but it certainly changed everyone's outlook. Some arcologies still used unclean energy sources even now but it was generally frowned upon publicly.

It was deep within Rosumovi Arcology that the naked, battered body of one Hyūga Hinata was lying in a stasis tube full of shimmering liquid. Her eyes had been temporarily removed for study and now were being placed back in her eye sockets followed by a generous amount of healing liquid to make sure they were all right. A male in medical garb said, "The operation is a complete success. We have successfully duplicated her eyes to perfection and placed the originals back in place. Her health has yet to be fully restored and we don't even know her name but our agents who found her outside the Misogunia Arcology in the horrid, toxic wastes there should be commended for bringing her back here for restoration. She was covered in heavy water and we believe she may have been the victim of cruel experimentation. The damage to her body was extreme but our fellow healers have done a wonderful job. Let us hope our new sister wakes up soon. I just pray her psyche has not been irreparably damaged. _Damn those humans!"_

"Do you think she is a product of someone else's invention or descended of our original design Chief Healer?" asked a young female also in sterile garb.

"Let's ask Councilor Valeria." said the male as he put down his medical instruments. They went over to a tall, graceful looking woman with dark blue hair that was facing away from them. "Counselor Valeria, how are your new eyes?" he asked.

The woman turned around revealing a beautiful face and had pearl like, lavender byakugan eyes. The blood vessels around her eyes expanded and she said smiling happily, "They are absolutely _wonderful_ Chief Healer Asclepius. I can see everyone's energy _within_ their bodies and I can see 360 degrees as well. I can even zoom in on details at great distances or see objects in the _minutest_ of detail. It will certainly take some getting used to but I am not exaggerating when I say these new eyes are truly a _miracle_ of bio organic engineering. We should put them in production so _everyone_ can share the joys of this new vision I now have."

"Do you believe she is our sister our something else?" asked Asclepius.

"She is our sister or developed of our forebears. Why else would her eyes be completely compatible with us?" said Valeria with conviction in her voice. "Just look at her. She has our energy source and our beauty. In spite of her deplorable state we found her in she is incredibly fit and it is obvious she follows our practices. Even in her weakened state she is regenerating rapidly. Since her body is soaking up life water at a rapid rate; I believe she will wake up soon. I can see with these new eyes that her damaged body is restoring itself like clockwork. The efforts of you healers have produced wonderful results as well. My question is what those horrid _humans_ were doing with her to begin with. The fools over in Misogunia Arcology have never displayed an interest in our kind as they always viewed us as appliances rather than living beings according to our history. I will be discussing this with the Council as to what to do about _them_."

"And the new eyes?" asked Asclepius.

"Place them into limited production." said Valeria. "I can that authorize without consulting the Council. I want fifty sets to test on a cross section of our population. All volunteers of course. Provided there are no ill side effects or degradation over the next few months I believe the proposal I intend to present to the Council will pass to put the eyes in mass production. Actually Asclepius, I believe _you_ should be among the first to receive the new eyes. There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that they would be incredibly useful to you as our Chief Healer."

Asclepius nodded. "Then I shall do just that Councilor Valaria; to be honest it sounds like the new eyes are truly wondrous. What shall we call them?"

Valeria smiled serenely. "Let's wait for our new sister to awake and she can tell us what they are called. I personally can't wait to talk to her."

"I share your enthusiasm Councilor Valeria. We will all do our best." he replied.

 _The winds of change were flowing through Rosumovi Arcology. Whether they were for good or evil remained to be seen_ ….

….

 **Misogunia Arcology**

The closest arcology to the ruins of Rosumovi Arcology was Misogunia that sat just outside the dead zone that surrounded Rosomuvi. Misogunia Arcology was a large, semi castle like structure that was rather incongruous in appearance. It had been built up over the centuries in phases and no two phases (or layers as the inhabitants called them) seemed to match each other in layout, shape or even architectural design style. It was like someone just built a new city on top of the old one without giving a thought about the previous one. Misogunia was surrounded by swamps and all the waste from the arcology was simply dumped out into them. The area was basically a toxic wasteland. It was little wonder why they seldom had visitors….

In the lowest level of Misogunia sat the Nadeshiko kunoichi Shizuka in a cell cracking her bones back into place. Several had pulled out of joint as punishment by the Neanderthals that ran this place. She'd awakened yesterday inside what seemed to be a tumble dryer for clothing. The green eyed beauty still had her kunoichi uniform but her weapons had been taken. She'd been yanked out of the dryer by her leg by a seven foot beast of a man who slammed her into a chair. Shizuka then asked where she was and where Naruto and Hinata were. The man seemed a bit puzzled so the black haired young woman described them and the man said that they'd only found her and a blind girl. He went on to say that Hinata was useless since she was blind so they'd disposed of her by shoving her down a garbage chute and into the toxic wastes outside. Then he said if Director Obadiah found Shizuka useful enough he might keep her around for breeding stock. The Nadeshiko leader was shocked and horrified to say the least….

 _Flashback_ ….

 _It was then the Director Obadiah came storming in. He was broad shouldered, brutish and large like the others but was graying and wore glasses. He turned red in the face and yelled, "_ _ **You brought me down here for this?! A bitch?!**_ _You fools were supposed to make a passage using the heavy water like our ancestors did in the exodus from the cataclysm! Bitches aren't smart enough to know anything that would help us. When you said you had a subject I assumed it was a_ _ **man**_ _. This bitch is only good for breeding purposes. Even though she's small she might do for breeding with the slaves. I can't_ _ **believe**_ _you people wasted my time like th-"_

 _That was when Shizuka gave him a chakra enhanced kick in the groin and when he bent over forward with a cry of pain she landed a vicious five hit combo to his face which rearranged it quite thoroughly…._

 _Flashback End_ ….

After that it was all a blur. It took seventeen of the massive thugs to subdue the angry kunoichi and even then most of them were very badly injured. At least two were now eunuchs. They beat her brutally and dislocated several of her joints before they tossed her down into the lowest prison levels of Misogunia where they kept political prisoners. Shizuka was alone, black and blue, low on chakra and in pain. _But she was alive_. She'd used her chakra to reinforce her body so the beating wasn't nearly as damaging as it could have been. Best of all she had a seal on her uniform at the base of her spine that contained a new uniform and a full set of weapons and supplies. The kunoichis of the Nadeshiko Village believed that they should _always_ be prepared for anything. The young kunoichi decided to dress her wounds and bide her time a few days to heal before she broke out of this pit. She smiled viciously as she held up one of her razor sharp kunai knives. Using her wind chakra she could easily cut through the locks on the cell doors and _anyone_ or _anything_ stupid enough to cross her path. These bastards had messed with the wrong kunoichi. _Shizuka's green eyes burned for vengeance_ ….

Several levels up in Misogunia Arcology were the medical facilities where Director Obadiah was on heavy pain medications. They'd already had to remove one of his testicles but thank the _gods_ they'd been able to save the other one (even if it was swollen up like a deformed purple grapefruit). In the society of Misogunia only a **man** could rule. If he'd been fully castrated he would have been cast out (and rightfully so). To be incomplete and imperfect like a _female_ would have been a fate worse than death. Obadiah was currently trying to figure out the worst possible tortures he could inflict on that little bitch for what she did to him. Unfortunately between the massive pain killers and the fact he was _still_ in misery and throbbing pain the Director of Misigunia Arcology was going to be bedridden for a while. They said he had a ruptured eye socket and a shattered cheekbone as well but he really didn't feel them compared to the horrid pain in his groin. He decided the bitch could wait until he was fully recovered before he went down to torture and kill her.

Director Obadiah always got his way. He always had and always would….

Too bad for a woman hater like him that he had picked a fight with the worst possibly enemy a sexist man could ever have – _the pissed off ruler of the kunoichi of Nadeshiko Village_ ….

 **…** **.**

POSTSCRIPT:

So now we have something of an overview of Lyonesse. More specific details will come out as the story goes along but suffice it to say Naruto is stuck at the bottom of the sea (for now). In the original I was going to wait several chapters before revealing what was going on with Hinata and Shizuka but I decided to go ahead and set it into motion. See you next time. Blue out. 12/18/18 -Original Version 3/29/15


	4. Chapter 4

**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

For those that have been asking, _**Journey to Lyonesse**_ is not a crossover. There is no anime or manga of it. The cyberpunk land of Lyonesse as portrayed is based entirely on my imagination and is a reference an old European Legend of a city that sank like Atlantis. (One of the working titles of this story was _Journey to Atlantis_ ). Once again this chapter was majorly restructured. Here is Chapter 4. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _Flashback…._

 _It was then the Director Obadiah came storming in. He was broad shouldered, brutish and large like the others but was graying and wore glasses. He turned red in the face and yelled, "_ _ **You brought me down here for this?! A bitch?!**_ _You fools were supposed to make a passage using the heavy water like our ancestors did in the exodus from the cataclysm! Bitches aren't smart enough to know anything that would help us. When you said you had a subject I assumed it was a_ _ **man**_ _. This bitch is only good for breeding purposes. Even though she's small she might do for breeding with the slaves. I can't_ _ **believe**_ _you people wasted my time like th-"_

 _That was when Shizuka gave him a chakra enhanced kick in the groin and when he bent over forward with a cry of pain she landed a vicious five hit combo to his face which rearranged it quite thoroughly…._

 _Flashback End…._

 _After that it was all a blur. It took seventeen of the massive thugs to subdue the angry kunoichi and even then most of them were very badly injured. At least two were now eunuchs. They beat her brutally and dislocated several of her joints before they tossed her down into the lowest prison levels of Misogunia where they kept political prisoners. Shizuka was alone, black and blue, low on chakra and in pain._ _But she was alive_ _. She'd used her chakra to reinforce her body so the beating wasn't nearly as damaging as it could have been. Best of all she had a seal on her uniform at the base of her spine that contained a new uniform and a full set of weapons and supplies. The kunoichis of the Nadeshiko Village believed that they should always be prepared for anything. The young kunoichi decided to dress her wounds and bide her time a few days to heal before she broke out of this pit. She smiled viciously as she held up one of her razor sharp kunai knives. Using her wind chakra she could easily cut through the locks on the cell doors and anyone or anything stupid enough to cross her path. These bastards had messed with the wrong kunoichi._ _Shizuka's green eyes burned for vengeance…._

 _Several levels up in Misogunia Arcology were the medical facilities where Director Obadiah was on heavy pain medications. They'd already had to remove one of his testicles but thank the gods they'd been able to save the other one (even if it was swollen up like a deformed purple grapefruit). In the society of Misogunia only a_ _ **man**_ _could rule. If he'd been fully castrated he would have been cast out (and rightfully so). To be incomplete and imperfect like a female would have been a fate worse than death. Obadiah was currently trying to figure out the worst possible tortures he could inflict on that little bitch for what she did to him. Unfortunately between the massive pain killers and the fact he was still in misery and throbbing pain the Director of Misigunia Arcology was going to be bedridden for a while. They said he had a ruptured eye socket and a shattered cheekbone as well but he really didn't feel them compared to the horrid pain in his groin. He decided the bitch could wait until he was fully recovered before he went down to torture and kill her._

 _Director Obadiah always got his way. He always had and always would…._

 _Too bad for a woman hater like him that he had picked a fight with the worst possibly enemy a sexist man could ever have_ _–the pissed off ruler of the kunoichi of Nadeshiko Village …._

 ** _…_** ** _._**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Rosumovi Arcology**

Hinata awoke feeling comfortable and weightless as if she was floating in a warm, soothing pool of water. ' _Where am I…?_ ' wondered the byakugan princess. The last thing she remembered was being thrown into a garbage chute of some sort by a huge man. In her weakened state she couldn't fight him off. She'd been covered with that gelatin like stuff from the lake and when she awoke the man had angrily yelled that she was blind and therefore useless….Then he stunned Hinata with a blow to the head. ' _The next thing I knew I was freefalling down a disgusting shaft full of waste….I crashed around falling through a series of garbage shafts and got beat up pretty badly in the process_.' Hinata thought for a moment to clear her head. ' _I flew out of the shaft system and realized that I was about three stories up in the air looking down into a marshy, dark, swamp like area….Then I remember channeling all the chakra I could muster to reinforce my body for the impact with the ground. I remember the crash….I must have blacked out after that_.'

When Hinata opened her eyes she found she was floating in a shallow tub of shimmering water. The pearl eyed beauty was naked but had many waterproof bandages covering parts of her body. As Hinata groggily looked around she saw that she was in a very sterile looking room with lots of lights and instruments surrounding her. ' _Is this a laboratory….or a hospital of some sort?_ ' she wondered. The indigo haired young woman noticed multiple lights blinking on a band wrapped around her upper left arm. They were alternating in various colors in sync with a monitor on the wall. On the monitor it displayed her heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and numerous other things like brainwaves. ' _Everything looks so advanced. I wonder if it isn't some sort of science fiction dream I'm in_.' Hinata sat up and saw she wasn't strapped down or restrained in any way. The air was warm so she wasn't uncomfortable.

About that time a door slid open and a young woman walked in. She had byakugan eyes but Hinata didn't recognize her as any Hyūga of the main or branch family she'd ever met. The young woman was dressed in some sort of medical outfit. When she saw the byakugan princess was awake the young woman got a huge smile on her face and briskly walked over with a towel in hand. Handing Hinata the towel she said, "Sister; I'm so happy to see you woke up. The entire healing staff here has been monitoring you closely for days. I am Hygieia. Please tell me your name sister."

The indigo haired kunoichi quietly said, "I'm Hyūga Hinata. Please forgive me but I don't recognize you. Are you a member of the Hyūga Clan?"

Hygieia looked at Hinata puzzled and asked, "Hyūga Clan? Oh, is Hyūga one of those….what did they call them? Oh yes; surnames."

"Yes, Hyūga is my family surname." the byakugan princess said confused. ' _Why would a Hyūga not know their own surname?_ ' she wondered.

Hygieia laughed melodically. "We haven't used surnames here since the revolution three hundred years ago. I had no idea that any of our brothers and sisters existed outside Rosumovi. Tell me, what Arcology were you created in?"

There was a splash and Hygieia panicked when she realized Hyūga Hinata had fainted….

 **…** **.**

The Hyūga heiress awoke again feeling dry now. She was in a comfortable bed and had on a clean white robe on to cover her modesty. ' _Was I just dreaming?_ ' she wondered. She looked around and saw Hygieia and another woman standing there conversing. _'I guess not_ ….' thought Hinata despondently. They were in medical garb but it wasn't the full body, sterile stuff that someone would wear for surgery like Hygieia was wearing earlier.

The woman beside Hygieia turned and said, "Look; Sister Hinata is awake younger sister." She also had byakugan eyes.

Hygieia turned and said, "So she is, Sister Iaso." Hygieia gently took Hinata's hand in hers and said, "Sister Hinata; I'm so sorry about earlier. We were very worried you were suffering from some sort of psychic damage when you passed out but then we realized you must be famished even though your body stopped absorbing life water so rapidly. Please forgive me for not taking more care. I was just so excited to see you awake that I completely forgot myself."

Iaso came over and sat beside Hinata on the other side. She quickly introduced herself. "I am Iaso, Sister Hinata. I am versed in the ways of the psyche and my specialty is healing the mind. Let's get some food in you and share our knowledge. Can you tell me what you remember? You were rescued by our agents in the toxic swamps outside the Misogunia Arcology. You were covered in heavy water and badly brutalized. At first our agents mistook you for a dead human but then they sensed your power core in its weakened state and rushed you here for our healers to attend you. We were afraid you wouldn't make it but now your core is blazing brightly as the strongest of our defenders."

Hinata hesitated and asked, "Can you tell me where I am?"

"Of course I can." replied Iaso. "You are safely inside the Rosumovi Arcology where we bioroids govern ourselves free of the oppressive humans that abused us so long ago. Since you were created in another Arcology I would not be surprised if you weren't aware of our existence."

"What's an Arcology and why do you refer to yourself as a bioroid?" asked the indigo haired beauty. "I've never heard either word." She activated her byakugan. "You have a perfectly healthy chakra core; and there are no deformities I can see, you are just as human as I am."

Iaso looked for any signs of deception on Hinata's face and found none. ' _She is a bioroid and has never heard of bioroids?! She thinks she's a human? What have those monstrous humans done to this poor girl?_ ' "Tell me Hinata, where were you created? Where do you come from?"

Hinata answered, "I come from a Village called Konoha in Fire Country. I hate to ask but can you open a window and let some sunlight in? It's hard to tell if it's daytime or nighttime here."

' _SUNLIGHT?! Daytime; Nighttime?! What in the world is going on here?_ ' wondered Iaso to herself. She'd heard of these things but only in books of course. Lyonesse hadn't had true sunlight since it sank centuries ago. Calming herself she said, "Tell me Sister Hinata; have you ever heard of a place called Lyonesse?"

"No, I haven't." said Hinata plainly.

"Hold on a moment." said Iaso. She pulled up a data pad and said to it, "Show me a world map of the Empire of Lyonesse circa seven hundred years ago." A few seconds later she touched the pad and a holographic map appeared. She rotated it to face Hinata. "Do you see where you are from on this map? She pointed to the island of Lyonesse. "This is where the Nation of Lyonesse was seven hundred years ago."

Hinata pointed to the area where Fire Country is located and said, "I'm from around here on this map but none of the names on the map look right. This whole area is the Elemental Nations and I know about the continent in the south across the sea but how could an island nation such as Lyonesse exist further east of Water Country without having been discovered? This is very strange to me."

"So last you remember you where here?" asked Iaso as she pointed to the vicinity of Fire Country.

"No, I was on a mission near Water Country." said Hinata as her finger traced east from Fire Country east over to the Island of the Nadeshiko kunoichi. "That's when Naruto-kun, Shizuka-sama and I were sucked into a whirlpool of clear jelly like stuff. I woke up and was thrown out of a building and got knocked out. Then I woke up here."

Iaso turned to Hygieia who looked utterly confused. "Sister Hinata was contaminated with heavy water was she not, Hygieia?"

The younger girl nodded. "Yes, we decontaminated Sister Hinata meticulously though. I assure you she is completely cleansed of it. Even Chief Healer Asclepius thoroughly checked."

"I don't have the proof I need yet but I don't believe Sister Hinata is from Lyonesse at all." said Iaso. "Call Councilor Valeria at once, Hygieia. We'll need a Science Advisor as well."

….

 **Misogunia Arcology**

Shizuka was quietly eating a ration bar and drinking bottled water that she had previously stored in a seal. So far she'd been served refuse and if she wasn't mistaken; urine to drink. The Nadeshiko Princess kept a henge up of her uniform being torn and ragged as well as her appearance being black and blue. Her captors all thought the green eyed beauty was on her last leg. In reality, other than seriously needing a bath from all the filth around her she was healing up quite well. Shizuka thought to herself, _'I figure I'm at about eighty percent; in another week and I'll be back at one hundred percent. It's just a matter of being patient_.' The black haired kunoichi heard the guard that brought her garbage to eat everyday coming and sealed away her meal. Then Shizuka added a bit to her henge to make her look even more defeated. The guard limped up with a distinct clunking noise because the Nadeshiko kunoichi shattered his kneecap when they subdued her a week ago. He had to wear a brace to walk as a result. The man took sadistic pleasure in taunting Shizuka from his side of the bars as he tossed the so-called _'food'_ into the cell with her.

The truth was he was afraid of the Nadeshiko Princess. She'd never spoken to him but her smoldering green eyes made him cringe and Shizuka rather enjoyed that. The black haired kunoichi planned to cut out his tongue for insulting her so much if he had the misfortune of running into her when she broke out. He limped up and threw her ' _food_ ' in as usual. He smiled and said, "I've got a special present for you bitch." He held out her equipment and weapons they'd taken from her in the lab upstairs a week ago. He laughed when her eyes widened slightly. "I bet you'd like to have these wouldn't you? Director Obadiah told me to bring these things down personally just so you could look at them." he said as he jostled them around well out of her reach. He turned and hung them on a hook on the stone wall opposite of her cell. "Now you can look at these pretty things all day bitch."

Shizuka walked up to the bars and said icily, "Hand those over cretin and I'll let you live."

He laughed hysterically. "Bwahaha! You'll let me live? That's hilarious! I can't wait to tell the oth-" he was silenced by a kunai sticking out of his throat and he slumped to the floor with his eyes wide open in shock….

The green eyed beauty removed her henge revealing she was quite well armed and in a new uniform. He stared in disbelief as Shizuka pulled a wind enhanced kunai out and cut the lock off the cell door like a hot knife through butter. Opening the cell; the kunoichi moved silently as she checked her weapons pouch that he'd hung on the wall. The only sound in the air was him choking as he bled out. Seeing everything was in order Shizuka smiled at him viciously and strapped her weapons pouch on. Then the kunoichi pulled him back into the cell she'd been using as her luxury suite for the last week while healing up and propped him against the back wall. He tried to mouth something but all that came out were gurgling sounds.

Looking him in his terrified eyes disdainfully; Shizuka said quietly, "You really _do_ talk too much." She yanked her kunai out and the blood poured liberally down his bare chest. "Haven't you ever heard silence is golden?" she asked. He coughed a gout of blood and found he was far too weak to move. The black haired kunoichi then whispered, "You should be feeling good and chilled by now; at the rate you're bleeding I'd say you have ten minutes tops. I'd love to hang around and watch that last spark of life leave your eyes but I have too much to do. People to see; places to go _and men to kill_." Then she hissed, "When you get to hell tell them that Shizuka of the Nadeshiko village sent you there." Then she walked out with a soft sway in her hips and closed the cell door behind her silently. The guard whose name she never bothered to find out was dead eight minutes later in a pool of his own blood….

 **…** **.**

The Nadeshiko Princess blended into the shadows and observed things for a while. The lowest levels of the Misogunia Arcology were all prisons and slave pens from what she could tell. Each floor had four guard stations in the cardinal directions to keep the slaves and prisoners in line. ' _It is a rather primitive setup with the only real surveillance being carried out by guards on their patrol routes_ ….' she thought. Moving silently into one of the guard stations the green eyed kunoichi found four brutish men lazing about. Shizuka slit their throats one by one in absolute silence. After she quietly cleared that station out the black haired kunoichi moved to the next station and then to the other two on that floor. With no guards left alive on that level Shizuka went around and started quietly opening the cells….

"Who are you?" asked a frightened woman slave as the Nadeshiko Princess used a key she had _liberated_ to unlock the cell door.

Shizuka's burning green eyes pinned the woman in place. "I'm the person that assassinated every guard on this floor and I'm now unlocking the cells. Once I'm done here I'm going to clear out one floor at a time until I've found Obadiah and then I'm going to kill him slowly and painfully. I'd say you should take this opportunity to quietly escape this hellhole but ultimately the choice is yours." With that the kunoichi quietly moved on to the next cell and told them something similar. Before long the various prisoners and slaves crept out of their cells and soon found every guard station's floor was slick with blood from the necks of the dead guards….

The slaves from the pens and the prisoners suddenly felt their anger burning at Director Obadiah and his regime. They were now free and whoever the mysterious woman wiping out the guards was clearing a path for them towards **_revenge!_**

A few hours later Shizuka opened a massive armored door that slaves were driven in and out of in groups by their masters to do slave labor on the upper levels. Several of the slaves knew how the doors worked and most of them were actively helping the green eyed kunoichi by now. The guards could have easily overwhelmed a usual work gang but it was a huge difference with the slaves exiting en masse, armed and ready to kill those responsible for centuries of oppression. Chaos and violence broke out soon and Director Obadiah's vastly outnumbered police forces were being brutally killed to the last man. Shizuka quietly flitted about in the shadows and took out any sort of well defended obstacle in the way via exploding tags or assassination and the ever growing mob was laying waste to everything in their path. The Nadeshiko Princess thought to herself, ' _Soon I'll have your head on a pike Obadiah_ ….'

 _…_ _._

Director Obadiah was up several levels still in the infirmary when one of his lieutenants came up with the horrifying news that a slave revolt was taking place and that a third of the Misogunia Arcology was already lost before they could even react. " _What the hell happened?!_ " yelled the red faced Obadiah at his men. " _How_ could every last prisoner and slave have escaped the lowest floors into the living areas without you even noticing? The guards should have been able to put down a revolt. If not; why the fuck didn't they flood those floors and drown them all? Our system is **_foolproof_** ; it's worked well for centuries!"

"Sir, we tried to give the orders but every guard station is silent." said one of Obadiah's men. "I think they are all dead. The slaves are all now in the living areas and are wiping out our forces rapidly. Many of the civilians in the living areas are joining in the revolt and security doors are being opened without clearance. If something isn't done soon they will invade the areas our troop's families live in. We need to fall back and defend those areas. If we stop their advance perhaps we can negotiate with them then."

" ** _WE AREN"T NEGOTIATING WITH_** ** _ANYBODY!_** " yelled Obadiah in a fit of rage. "I want you to send _every last troop_ from the upper and middle sections down there to _kill_ all those rebelling against us; civilian, slave or otherwise. They are all traitors against the Misogunia Arcology. _Wipe every last one of them out!_ "

 **…** **.**

 **Whorl Arcology**

Naruto was peacefully exercising in Master Xian's dojo. He was wearing simple gi pants and had removed the shirt because he was getting sweaty from his workout. The blonde had been talking with Master Xian about the kinds of exercises the older man did to see if there was something new or different to try in his own workout. As it was Naruto was doing his second set of five hundred one armed pushups to maintain his arm strength. He also had done some light sparring with Master Xian to loosen up a bit….However; the orange loving ninja also felt like he was being watched….

Up in the Audio/Video room; Benibara Steelside was watching Naruto work out with rapt attention via camera. She saw the sweat rolling off of him and was drooling at the sight of his body. ' _My god, I want to go down there a taste him so badly….I've_ _ **never**_ _seen such an incredible body in my entire life. I'm getting so hot just watching him….With that kind of stamina I wonder what he'd be like in bed_ ….' Benibara continued to stare with a slight nosebleed. She'd completely forgotten her Mother Rosalie was still in the room with her….

Rosalie was quite amazed at the sight. ' _No wonder Benibara is so smitten! The amount of animal magnetism that the young man possesses is overwhelming even on camera_.' Rosalie looked away from the screen with a slight blush. ' _Well, it seems my precious girl has inherited my taste in men. I'm really aroused….I need to go see Magnus. He always does like it when I seduce him in his office_ ….' Rosalie giggled. "I'm going to leave you to your eye candy Benibara. I have things to take care of."

Benibara was a little too enthralled with the view to pay much attention to her Mother. With a dazed sounding voice she said, "Okay Mama; see you later…."

Rosalie was chuckling the whole way to her man's office….her dear Magnus wasn't going to stand a chance against _her_ this morning.

 _Back in the dojo Naruto couldn't help but wonder why he had the feeling he was under a microscope_ ….

 **…** **.**

 **Rosumovi Arcology**

While a revolution was taking place a Misogunia Arcology a different sort of violence broke out at Rosumovi Arcology. " ** _YOU TOOK MY EYES?!_** " screamed Hinata in both horror and anguish. " _I'll…._ _ **I"LL**_ _ **KILL**_ _ **YOU!**_ "

 _Flashback…._

 _…_ _.The gentle Bykugan Princess was learning a bit about Lyonesse from Iaso when Councilor Valeria entered and happily smiled as she explained the 'wonderful gift' that Hinata bought with her and how they'd copied her byakugan eyes. That had been a nearly_ _ **fatal**_ _mistake. Hinata reacted with extreme violence and struck like lightning. Everyone but Valeria and Hygieia were unconscious and Valeria was lying on the floor in wide eyed horror at the contemptuous ease that Hinata had taken her two escorts down. In theory they were both extremely powerful defenders but the Hyūga heiress swatted them aside like flies. Hinata was far;_ _ **far**_ _stronger than Valeria had ever imagined possible…._

 _Flashback end…._

Now Hinata was towering over Valeria with her Twin Lion Fists roaring as she said in an icy voice, "Give me _one_ good reason I should not execute you and everyone else in this place for violating my body and taking what is the most precious thing to the Hyūga Clan Councilor…."

Hygieia was sobbing in the corner of the room. "P-please Sister Hinata! We bioroids share _everything!_ Our actions were benevolent….W-we never would have taken your eyes out had we not believed they were irreparably damaged. We were doing our best to _heal_ you. We bioroids would never harm our own kin. You must believe me!"

Valeria tried to speak but shook in absolute fear when Hinata flared her chakra and pinned her with killing intent. "…. ** _Get out Councilor_**. Take your people and **_get out_** before I kill you!"

Nodding rapidly, Valeria and Hygieia quickly got the unconscious Iaso and Valeria's two escorts and vacated the room closing the sliding door behind them. Iaso had only been knocked out but Valaria's two escorts need medical attention. Once they were out in the hall they heard Hinata let out such a soul wrenching scream of sadness that they were in shock. The noises of the pearl eyed beauty's angry screams and the sounds of things in the room being destroyed rang throughout the hallway until they heard Hinata wail, " ** _WHY?_** " before she broke down into a fit of sobs….

"W-what have we done….?" asked Hygieia crying. Valeria remained silent but the pain emanating from Hinata's room was so heavy that she wanted to cry herself….

 **…** **.**

Iaso woke up in the infirmary. Her neck felt a bit stiff from the chop she received from Hinata but aside of that she was unharmed. When she opened her eyes she saw Hygieia hovering nearby looking rather distraught. The mind healer said groggily, "Sister Hygieia, what happened? You look terribly upset. Why are we in the infirmary?"

Hygieia quickly turned to the older woman. "Thank the gods you're okay Sister Iaso. Do you hurt anywhere? I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"My neck is stiff but I'm okay. How did I get here Hygieia?" asked Iaso.

The youg healer took a calming breath. "Sister Hinata struck your neck and knocked you out in an instant. She is _terribly,_ _ **terribly**_ upset and angry that we took her eyes and copied them. She was violent and frightening. I was worried for your health Sister Iaso."

"Were Councilor Valeria's escorts able to restrain her before she harmed herself?" asked the mind healer concerned for Hinata's mental health.

Valeria entered the room and said, "She crushed my escorts like insects Sister Iaso. It's estimated they will be out for a week healing up. We have no warriors of either the offensive or defensive type that can stand against her combat strength in my humble estimation. She actually can manifest her power outside of her body with such intensity that it dazzled my vision. Wherever Sister Hinata is from they must have created a special combat type that is far beyond others. Given her eyes and her power core's raw energy I think it is safe to say she could easily defeat several of our combat bred types before they could even react. We need to make peace with her. She rendered you unconscious with no effort and never touched Hygieia. I am hoping you two may be able to bond with her and calm her down."

"What about you Councilor Valeria?" asked Iaso. "Did she harm you in any way?"

The Councilor looked distinctively uncomfortable. "No, she only knocked me to the floor and threatened to execute me." Iaso gasped. "I fear she would have but Sister Hygieia pleaded with her not to so she let us all go without further incident."

Hygieia spoke up and said, "After we left Sister Hinata's room it sounded like she released her anger on whatever was left standing in the room before she broke down sobbing. I wanted to comfort her but I was too afraid…."

"You are one of our best mind healers Sister Iaso." said Valeria. I will not order you to do it but I will ask that you attempt to help Sister Hinata. Where she is from we may have caused a great affront by cloning her eyes but she must be assured we meant no harm or offense. Are you willing to do this Sister Iaso?"

The mind healer paused. "How long has it been since she emotionally exploded?"

"It's been about three hours Sister Iaso." said Hygieia.

"Very well, I'm sure she is getting hungry by now." said the mind healer. "I'm also sure she is still very upset but hopefully her rage has abated. Sister Hygieia, I will attempt to talk to her. Would you be willing to stay nearby so we can get her something to eat?"

The young medic nodded, "Of course I will. If there is any way I can help Sister Hinata I will. Her cries of anguish were heartbreaking. I wish to make her better in any way I am able."

"Spoken like a true healer." said Chief Healer Asclepius as he walked in. "I am proud of you Hygieia."

"Thank you sir." said Hygieia with a smile. "It means a lot to me."

Asclepius just chuckled. "How is your neck Iaso?"

"It's still a bit stiff Chief Healer." replied the mind healer.

"I would expect it would be." said the older man. "Believe it or not; Sister Hinata is even more precise than she is powerful."

"What do you mean Chief Healer?" asked Valeria in a shocked tone.

Asclepius helped himself to a seat. "What I mean Councilor Valeria is this; Sister Hinata's strikes were in the exact right places with the exact amount of force to knock out Sister Iaso and disable your two escorts with a minimum of effort and damage. Had Sister Hinata truly intended lasting or crippling harm she could have easily done so. I truly believe she could easily kill a person with a single strike. She did not because she _chose_ not to. All of you were completely at her mercy."

Councilor Valeria gasped. "Then when she swatted my escorts aside as if they were **_nothing;_** _she was holding back?_ Is that what you are saying Chief Healer?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying Councilor Valaria." said the Chief Healer. "This is actually a good thing. While Sister Hinata was obviously completely enraged and tormented she never _truly_ lost control of herself. Your descriptions indicate to me you were facing a powerful berserker but I assure you that she is anything but Councilor." He turned to Iaso. "I believe you and Hygieia will be successful Iaso but do take care not to truly rile her."

Iaso got a flat look. "You don't need to tell me that _Elder_ Asclepius." as she made a jab at his age.

Asclepius laughed. "I just wanted you to know there is a time where it's okay to run screaming in fear from a patient."

Everyone else in the room just sweat dropped at his 'Sagely Advice' as he continued to chuckle.

 **…** **.**

 **Whorl Arcology**

Naruto was sitting down for lunch with Benibara….alone. ' _I wonder why Lord Magnus and Lady Rosalie are absent.'_ thought the blonde _. 'They are in some sort of meeting of great importance according to Kraven_.' The Steelside Heiress was looking at the young Sage with a faraway look in her light green eyes which seemed completely out of character for the normally glacial Benibara Steelside. ' _Ummm….Why is she looking at me that way? I feel like I should ask but I don't think I will. She hasn't touched her food or said anything for ten minutes_.' "Lady Benibara; don't you want to eat before your food gets cold?" asked the whiskered ninja.

The Steelside Princess blinked. "Just call me Benibara, Naruto." she said smiling at him dreamily.

"Okaaay." replied the blonde. Naruto went back to eating despite feeling a bit unnerved. ' _Well, this is awkward….I wish Kurama would wake up. I hope Hinata-chan and Shizuka are okay. I'm really worried about them_.'

"Na-ru-to; what do you say we do some shopping for you today?" purred Benibara. "You really are in need of a wardrobe and we never got you the combat gear you wanted. Do you want to go out and shop? We could have fun together!"

Naruto said in a no nonsense tone, "You need to stay in the mansion until that cyborg situation has been fully investigated Benibara. I can't risk your life just to get clothes."

Benibara pouted. "Please…?" she asked. Naruto just shook his head 'no.' "Well then, let's go to my bedroom and we can shop online. That way we can see what you like _and_ it will be safe." said Benibara sounding rather pleased with herself. _'I'll just summon my personal tailors and get his measurements_.'

"Alright, but what does online mean?" asked Naruto looking a bit bewildered.

' _He looks so cute when he's confused!_ ' Benibara mentally squealed to herself. She smiled and said rather excitedly, "I have a _whole new_ _world_ to show you Naruto!" The Steelside Princess sounded a _way_ too eager for Naruto's tastes….

 **…** **.**

 **Misogunia Arcology**

By evening Obadiah's counter assault with his troops had failed utterly. A throng of the Director's troops charged in recklessly after some retreating slaves thinking victory would be easy….and ran straight into a series of explosive traps that Shizuka had set for them. She'd carefully been gathering explosive devices of all shapes and sizes as she wiped out guard stations. The dying screams and the acrid stench of the smoking meat that was once Obadiah's police forces was the result. The apparent retreat by the revolting slaves had been nothing but a carefully constructed trap. Shizuka growled, "Fools, one Nadeshiko kunoichi is _far_ more dangerous than a hundred ill trained men. I'm going to enjoy choking your pathetic life out Obadiah."

The black haired kunoichi sighed. The rebellion was following her whether she liked it that way or not. _'My original plan was to free them so they would cause a distraction so I could wipe out Obadiah and his little circle of friends._ ' thought the Nadeshiko Princess. ' _Instead I inadvertently became the unofficial leader of a bloody revolution. I never imagined the civilians and even some of Obadiah's own police forces would join in this coup. Director Obadiah must be even worse than I suspected and that's_ _ **really**_ _saying something_.'

"Lady Shizuka!" said a former member of Obadiah's forces. "I retrieved the map of the upper floors you asked for."

"Thank you." replied Shizuka as she accepted the map. "Tell the people to stop and rest. They need food and need to regain their energy. Get a good meal in them and try to relax. From the looks of this map Obadiah and his cronies have no place to run anyway so there's no hurry. We'll post sentries to make sure everyone is safe while we're resting." The man (his name was Karkov if she recalled correctly) eagerly rushed to inform every one of 'Lady Shizuka's' commands with stars in his eyes.

' _Good thing I'm used to commanding a ninja village_.' Shizuka thought to herself ruefully. ' _Leading this mob has been hard but they've all idolized me. Once Obadiah's regime has been crushed I'll be able the start searching for Hinata and hopefully Naruto-kun. I hope they're both safe and well_.' She shook her head and thought aloud, "I need to focus on the battle here and now. I'll take care of other things later."

 _…_ _._

When the news reached Obadiah that his big offensive had been completely crushed he began to feel an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time: **_ice cold fear_**.

"What should we do sir?" asked one of his lieutenants.

Obadiah pondered. "Our best bet would be to kill their leader. If you cut the head off of a snake the body dies. Do we know who is behind all this? It's much too organized for a bunch of mindless slaves."

As his lieutenant handed him a picture of Shizuka; Obadiah's eyes widened. "This _bitch_ is responsible for causing so much destruction? _What in the hell is she?_ "

"We don't even know her name sir…." confessed one of his men. "As badly as we beat her physically last week I don't even know how she's walking, let alone fighting."

" _My god_ …." whispered Obadiah. Shizuka's angry eyes seemed to burn into him even from the photo. He had no doubt of her intentions. She wanted his head on a platter and would destroy whatever or whoever was necessary to get it. Obadiah began to consider possible escape plans because he had lost any delusions of coming out on top. Worst of all she was a woman….The shame was unbearable….The Director of the Misogunia Arcology would sooner kill himself than admit he was defeated by an inferior female.

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, it seems that Shizuka is literally on the warpath and Hinata may or may not be depending on whether or not Iaso and Hygieia can convince her that the bioroids mean no harm to her. Naruto is concerned for the girls but hasn't any means of finding them at this point and it seems that Benibara has taken more than just a little interest in our hero. Will he survive the perils of internet shopping with the extremely hormonal girl or will he run away screaming? Whether it's physical, moral or ethical everyone's in a pinch one way or another. See you next time. Blue out. 12/20/18 -Original Version 8/14/15


	5. Chapter 5

**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks everyone for their follows, favorites and reviews. Special thanks to **Bearmauls** for his input on this one. This chapter was restructured but the original text wasn't as bad as earlier chapters. Here is Chapter 5. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _…_ _.By evening Obadiah's counter assault with his troops had failed utterly. A throng of the Director's troops charged in recklessly after some retreating slaves thinking victory would be easy….and ran straight into a series of explosive traps that Shizuka had set for them. She'd carefully been gathering explosive devices of all shapes and sizes as she wiped out guard stations and the dying screams. The acrid stench of the smoking meat that was once Obadiah's police forces was the result. The apparent retreat by the revolting slaves had been nothing but a carefully constructed trap. Shizuka growled, "Fools, one Nadeshiko kunoichi is far more dangerous than a hundred ill trained men. I'm going to enjoy choking your pathetic life out Obadiah."_

 _The black haired kunoichi sighed. The rebellion was following her whether she liked it that way or not._ _' My original plan was to free them so they would cause a distraction so I could wipe out Obadiah and his little circle of friends._ _' thought the Nadeshiko Princess. '_ _Instead I inadvertently became the unofficial leader of a bloody revolution. I never imagined the civilians and even some of Obadiah's own police forces would join in this coup. Director Obadiah must be even worse than I suspected and that's_ _ **really**_ _saying something_ _.'_

 _"_ _Lady Shizuka!" said a former member of Obadiah's forces. "I retrieved the map of the upper floors you asked for."_

 _"_ _Thank you." replied Shizuka as she accepted the map. "Tell the people to stop and rest. They need food and need to regain their energy. Get a good meal in them and try to relax. From the looks of this map Obadiah and his cronies have no place to run anyway so there's no hurry. We'll post sentries to make sure everyone is safe while we're resting." The man (his name was Karkov if she recalled correctly) eagerly rushed to inform every one of 'Lady Shizuka's' commands with stars in his eyes._

 _'_ _Good thing I'm used to commanding a ninja village_ _. ' Shizuka thought to herself ruefully. '_ _Leading this mob has been hard but they've all idolized me. Once Obadiah's regime has been crushed I'll be able the start searching for Hinata and hopefully Naruto-kun. I hope they're both safe and well_ _.' She shook her head and thought aloud, "I need to focus on the battle here and now. I'll take care of other things later."_

 _…_ _._

 _When the news reached Obadiah that his big offensive had been completely crushed he began to feel an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time:_ _ **ice cold fear**_ _._

 _"_ _What should we do sir?" asked one of his lieutenants._

 _Obadiah pondered. "Our best bet would be to kill their leader. If you cut the head off of a snake the body dies. Do we know who is behind all this? It's much too organized for a bunch of mindless slaves."_

 _As his lieutenant handed him a picture of Shizuka; Obadiah's eyes widened. "This_ _bitch_ _is responsible for causing so much destruction?_ _What in the hell is she?_ _"_

 _"_ _We don't even know her name sir…." confessed one of his men. "As badly as we beat her physically last week I don't even know how she's walking, let alone fighting."_

 _"_ _My god…._ _" whispered Obadiah. Shizuka's angry eyes seemed to burn into him even from the photo. He had no doubt of her intentions. She wanted his head on a platter and would destroy whatever or whoever was necessary to get it. Obadiah began to consider possible escape plans because he had lost any delusions of coming out on top. Worst of all she was a woman….The shame was unbearable….The Director of the Misogunia Arcology would sooner kill himself than admit he was defeated by an inferior female._

….

 **Chapter 5**

 **Whorl Arcology**

Late that night, Naruto was in Sage Mode _once again_ and using Nishnū techniques to seek out Shizuka and Hinata. "You'd think for all my sensor abilities I'd be able to find them. This is the umpteenth time." muttered Naruto to himself. _'This is so frustrating._ ' The young Sage was beginning to wonder if it had something to do with the so called heavy water that surrounded Lyonesse. He looked at the map of the sunken nation and saw Whorl Arcology was in the southern half of the island. His finger traced northwards to the northernmost tip of Lyonesse. ' _I can sense chakra here but it's muted_ ….' The blonde looked closer and saw the area was simply labeled _The Outskirts_. The only active arcology he saw near the vicinity was an unaffiliated arcology called Misogunia. For whatever reason Misogunia Arcology was labeled as being banned from the Southern Trade Alliance which revolved around Whorl.

Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow at this and started looking through data. ' ** _The Outskirts_** _are extremely contaminated due to an industrial disaster at Rosumovi Arcology three hundred years ago. The area is unfit for human habitation and is to be avoided at all costs. The Misogunia Arcology is the only one that exists close to The Outskirts and it is considered to have a highly toxic environment_ ….' The young Sage frowned. "Then why am I sensing chakra there…?" he thought aloud.

….

The next morning Naruto was sitting on the bed in Benibara's bedroom. The bed was _colossal_ and semi circular with the flat edge against the back wall. The blonde ninja estimated you could put eight to ten people in it and still have plenty of room to spare. In front of the bed was a massive view screen and a console on the wall. The Steelside Heiress slid open a drawer and pulled out a small receiver with a tiny blade antenna and two micro jacks on it. Pulling out a second one she checked the connections. "Here you go Naruto." said Benibara as she handed him one. "We can go hardwire if you prefer but I like wireless." Benibara smiled happily. "Sit by me and we'll plug one of these into your datajack."

Naruto stared rather dumbfounded at the device she was holding out to him and asked, "What's a datajack?"

"…." said Benibara. "Ummm…. Naruto; don't you have a datajack in your neck?" she asked confused.

"No, I don't even know what a datajack is." answered Naruto.

Benibara thought, ' _They don't have even that technology outside the barrier…?'_ She grinned mentally. _'Well, I'll get him one as a gift then_.' "Would you like to have one? I can order a top of the line datajack to install in your neck with all kinds of options." she said eagerly. The platinum blonde lifted up her hair exposing the back of her neck and exposed two micro data ports. Benibara took one of the receivers and plugged it into her neck. "There; now I'm hooked into Virtual Reality access. Watch the screen Naruto." Suddenly the view screen flared to life and various diagrams appeared showing datajack types and options. "I have a compact TK-7 Zoom model from Turing Arcology. I'll tell you all about datajacks." said the Steelside Princess. As Benibara rattled off all of the features she noticed the blank look on Naruto's face.

Naruto was a bit shocked. "So they cut your neck open and stick a bunch of wires in there that hook into your brain?" The shiver in his voice was evident.

The Steelide heiress nodded. "Well, that's a very primitive way to describe it but yes. I usually get a new top of the line one every year or two to make sure I'm ahead of the game. I got my first one when I was five years old. You'll need one to explore the Virtual Reality world or VR for short."

"Could I use this datajack to search for my missing friends?" asked Naruto hopefully.

Benibara looked puzzled for a moment. "You did mention two women that fell in that pool of heavy water with you. If they are in an arcology in Lyonesse then the VR world would be the best place to start." She suddenly snapped her fingers. "I know! Let me call my cousin Ariel in Turing Arcology. Their specialty is VR technology that ties all of Lyonesse together. Since her family practically rules that place she would be a huge help."

"I didn't know you had a cousin." said Naruto.

The Steelside heiress looked excited. "My Aunt Abigail is my Mama's sister and was also was a beautiful model. She married into the Tesla family and they had my cousin Ariel Tesla.*① Ariel and I have always been close friends but our Moms hardly speak to each other. It's kind of sad really. I don't know what happened between Aunt Abigail and Mama but it was before I was born eighteen years ago. Anyway, Ariel is a year younger than me and the two of us have known each other since we were little because we played together in VR. Watch the screen and you'll see her access gateway."

Naruto watched as a door materialized in front of them with a neat brass nameplate that said _Ariel's Room_ on it. Naruto caught a glimpse of Benibara's hand on the screen reaching up and clacking the door knocker three times. It was like watching a first person movie on the screen to the orange loving ninja.

A very beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes and long pigtails opened the door and smiled happily at the screen. "Benibara, it's so good to see you!" She suddenly stopped talking and pointed at the screen. "What's with the external monitor?"

Naruto noticed that Benibara wasn't moving at all but on the screen her hand motioned towards Naruto in the real world. "Ariel, this is my new Enforcer Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, this is my cousin Lady Ariel Tesla."

Naruto waved and said, "Hello, Lady Tesla."

Ariel looked at Naruto with a very appraising eye and cocked an eyebrow. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Uzumaki but I do wonder why your floating around on an external monitor instead of plugged into VR properly. Is your transmitter or receiver jack down?"

"He doesn't have a datajack Ariel." explained Benibara.

Ariel's eyes got comically huge and she said, " ** _WHHAATT?!_** " Benibara's cousin quickly turned to the screen and addressed Naruto. "Excuse us Mister Uzumaki but I need to speak with Benibara in private for a moment." The screen turned a bright green with the words **_Stand By_** in dark green letters….

~ _In Virtual Reality_ ~

Ariel turned to Benibara. "You have an Enforcer without a datajack? _How is he supposed to protect you at all?!_ "

The platinum blonde girl smiled. "Calm down Ariel, he has some truly amazing talents. I have a datafeed of him in combat against someone that tried to kill me and the accompanying report. You'll believe me if you watch it."

Ariel crossed her arms under her bust and said, "Alright, hook me in." She stood still for a moment and then opened her eyes in shock. "That was security footage of him destroying a class three military grade cyborg with just his _body?_ Is this for real?!"

The older cousin smiled. "You're the expert hacker Ariel; you tell me. He saved my life and I'm _very interested_ in him. I want to get him a top of the line datajack and I want your help finding one for him. He's looking for a couple of missing people here in Lyonesse so I think he'll be sold on the idea if it will help him find them."

Ariel's calculating deep blue eyes met Benibara's icy green ones before Ariel smiled. "Hmmm….I'd be _very interested_ in meeting Naruto myself. What Arcology is he from to not have a datajack?"

"He's from _outside_ the barrier Ariel." said the Steelside heiress with glittering eyes. "Naruto hadn't heard of a datajack or Virtual Reality before today."

Ariel went through the combat visuals of Naruto in her head with all of the calculations of strength, mass and momentum going through her mind's eye. ' _So he comes from a primitive culture technologically but is for all intents and purposes is a superhuman being. Fascinating_.' "I'll open the line back up."

….

Naruto blinked as the screen changed back to normal and he saw Ariel's face smiling at him. She said, "It seems I owe you a great deal of gratitude for saving my cousin Benibara's life Mister Uzumaki. She explained to me that your origins are very unique. As a member of the Tesla family I'm extending an invitation to you and Benibara to come here to Turing Arcology where we can find the perfect design of datajack to suit your needs. Although Whorl has excellent equipment we can test you even better here at the Turing Arcology's hub. We also have better resources for searching for missing persons here. What do you say?"

Benibara smiled and asked, "Would you like to do that Naruto?"

"As long as it doesn't endanger your person I'd be interested at looking into it Lady Benibara." said Naruto. "I'm very worried for my friends."

"Excellent Mister Uzumaki!" said Ariel enthused. "Let me explain how a datajack works to you and the benefits of it…."

….

Later that day Benibara was frustrated. She had solid plans to get away from Whorl Arcology for a while and would have had some freedom of movement with her cousin Ariel in Turing Arcology. The attack from the cyborg had her frightened but at the same time she wanted to get out and away from the stress that was in Whorl. But there were two problems:

The first was Naruto. She wanted to get to _know_ him better and what better way than a romantic getaway for the two of them? Alas, Naruto _would_ be the one man in all Lyonesse that was serious enough about protecting her that even ' _A dream vacation with the beautiful Benibara Steelside'_ wasn't enough to convince him to let her out of the mansion. Any other man would have been frothing at the mouth at just a chance. She considered having a tantrum but the iron look he gave her when she started acting up put her in her place. She found this to both be exasperating and a turn on….

The second problem was her parents. They returned from some sort of conference (read: having sex all morning) looking very pleased with themselves and had promptly told Benibara that she was staying put even if they had to lock her in her bedroom. Magnus explained that the attack by that slime Ren out in _The Streets_ and the cyborg attack may have been connected even if it was highly unlikely….

 _Flashback…._

 _"_ _That's ridiculous! Ren was trying to capture me and hold me for ransom, not kill me like that cyborg!" said Benibara angrily._

 _Rosalie sighed. "Even if the two attacks_ _ **were**_ _totally unconnected two incidents happening within such a short timeframe_ _ **has**_ _to be investigated Benibara. Your Father and I can't let you go gallivanting all over Lyonesse because you have a bit of cabin fever. Besides, it isn't like Ariel to tell you she is cancelling her invitation just because of a delay."_

 _"_ _But Naruto can protect me!" said the heiress. "Ren and that cyborg never even touched me with him around."_

 _Magnus said, "You Mother is right precious. I agree with you that Naruto protected you when probably no one else could but there's a difference between being attacked and being foolish and_ _ **inviting**_ _danger. I know Turing Arcology is perfectly safe because we helped with some of the defense systems ourselves but Whorl is even better defended."_

 _"_ _But Daddy…!" Benibara started_

 _"_ _You wouldn't want_ _ **Naruto**_ _to be hurt or killed protecting you because you are simply_ _ **bored**_ _would you?" asked Rosalie pointedly._

 _Magnus raised an eyebrow at Rosalie's change of tactics but she glanced at him with a look that said '_ _Let me handle this._ _' and he relented._

 _"_ _Well…? Would you want that to happen precious?" asked Rosalie._

 _Benibara pouted. "No, I don't want Naruto to be hurt because of me…."_

 _Flashback end…._

"Damn….Mama can read me like a book." muttered the platinum blonde to herself. ' _Now I feel guilty for being so selfish about Naruto_ ….' Benibara was down relaxing in the indoor pool the Steelside family had at the ground floor of their mansion. She had on a red and white bikini that showed off her lithe figure perfectly but unfortunately Naruto was more interested in a tablet with several books of maps on Lyonesse than admiring her. ' _Ever since I mentioned searching for his two friends he's been far more interested in that tablet than in me_.' she thought glumly. "Naruto, let's swim together! You can read those maps later."

Naruto was wearing swimming trunks and a t-shirt that were provided but he hadn't seemed at all interested in swimming. He looked up at Benibara who seemed very eager for him to join her in the pool as she splashed around a bit. ' _Seems like an odd concept to go swimming while already underwater_.' he thought absentmindedly. For a brief second Naruto thought to make a shadow clone to continue his map research but he decided keeping that technique secret was in his best interest.

Benibara swam up to the edge of the pool to give Naruto a very nice view of her generous cleavage. "Na-ru-to; come swim with me." she purred.

That's when Wilhelm Kraven entered the pool area with two maids and said, "Forgive me for interrupting your recreation time Lady Benibara but Lord Magnus asked me to inform you that guests will be coming to dinner and you are expected to attend. It will be formal."

Benibara narrowed her eyes and said, "Kraven, who is coming that's so bloody important and when will they get here?"

Wilhelm cringed a bit. "It's Lord Brutus of Menelaus Arcology. He heard about your two Enforcers being killed and wishes to rectify that situation."

The green eyed girl face palmed. "So Brutus brought some of his Gladiators and wants to lust over Mama as usual. Does he have his moron of a son Claudius with him to make yet another feeble attempt to woo me as well?"

Kraven simply nodded his head. "I'm afraid so Lady Benibara. Dinner will be in three hours and you are expected to attend. Naruto is to be there too in order to prove you already have a capable Enforcer in your employ my Lady."

Benibara groaned. "Please inform Daddy I will be there. Naruto; go with Kraven and get something to eat since you're going to have to dress formal and watch over me while I eat as my guard. Odds are Lord Brutus will be eager to put you down and say you are incapable compared to his guards so be prepared for his total idiocy."

….

 **Rosumovi Arcology**

Hinata was sitting and meditating. Virtually everything is the room was totaly demolished from Hinata's rage earlier. Honestly the Hyūga heiress was a bit ashamed at her loss of control but she was _semi_ calm now. The bioroids or whatever these people called themselves seemed totally oblivious to the taboos of even getting _near_ a Hyūga's eyes. Activating her byakugan for the third time in the last half hour Hinata saw Hygieia and Iaso standing out in the hall looking both concerned and afraid. They'd made two attempts at knocking on the door to the room Hinata was in but had faltered….Having seen enough of the two nervous women Hinata said, "If you wish to come in then do so Iaso and Hygieia. I know you've been standing out there for at least thirty minutes. I will not harm you."

The two bioroid women were a bit shocked that Hinata knew they were there all along. Iaso said, "We'll be coming in now Sister Hinata. Please accept our sincere apologies; we simply did not wish to anger you further." Iaso slid the automatic door open by hand (apparently the controls were damaged) and saw Hinata sitting in the seiza position facing away from them. Iaso was completely shocked at the sheer amount of destruction in the room and heard Hygieia gasp behind her.

"Anger is an ugly thing." said Hinata darkly. "I want you to explain to me _exactly_ why you took it upon yourselves to violate my body and duplicate my precious byakugan eyes. There is nothing more horrible than that to a member of the Hyūga Clan and to do so where I come from would warrant execution of all parties involved."

Iaso gently slid the door closed behind them and said, "Sister Hinata; we bioroids had no idea that this was the case. I cannot tell you how sorry we are for causing you such anguish. We've never heard of anyone coming from outside Lyonesse and simply assumed you were one of ours that was captured and harmed by the humans. I cannot fully fathom the pain we caused you but our intentions were benevolent."

Hinata turned around and Iaso and Hygieia saw the bloodshot eyes and tear tracks marring Hinata's otherwise beautiful face. Hinata simply said, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Tell me the story of the bioroids."

It was going to be a long afternoon….

….

Hinata was listening to Iaso's tale. "Several centuries ago when the Empire of Lyonesse existed they raided other lands for slaves including our ancestors. For centuries our ancestors were bred like cattle for work -slaves which toiled to build the empire to greater and greater heights until Lyonesse sank beneath the sea. The few slaves left after the cataclysm were gathered here and eventually built what became Rosumovi Arcology. Through salvaged sciences of the past the humans that ruled Rosumovi Arcology found they could manipulate our genes and carried out experiments upon us for generations. They eventually found ways to clone and improve our beings without any breeding at all."

Seeing Hinata was listening intently the mind healer continued. "This went on for decades and the humans of Rosumovi Arcology became wealthy by selling us as products to other Arcologies. Though we are living and feeling beings the humans considered us nothing more than appliances. We were to be used and abused in any way they wished. After a while they started making us beautiful in some instances to appeal to their tastes as luxury items. They made specialized models of us for combat to defend them and other models were created to serve as maids, assistants and even pleasure slaves."

"So what happened?" asked Hinata.

"Three hundred years ago the rulers of Rosumovi Arcology had evolved us to the point that they lived without having to lift a finger from birth until death." explained Iaso with anger in her voice. "They surrounded themselves with beautiful bioriods that did _everything_ for them –even developing new bioroids! It was at this point that they declared that they perfected artificial life forms. It was their intention to increase our production so we could serve in _all_ the arcologies….But we had evolved ourselves. The humans had used us for testing against human diseases for centuries and thousands of us died during these horrible experiments. The humans found they could develop bio weapons to wipe out humans in other hostile arcologies that were designed not to affect bioroids because of our life energy. This would make their bioroid army unstoppable. This carefully developed doomsday weapon was placed under a development team made up of bioroids like everything else was."

Then Iaso's eyes got hard. "The humans were so stupid and so arrogant that they handed us a weapon that would wipe them out utterly and not harm us at all. The humans truly believed we were incapable of revolting against their tyranny. So, for many years we bioroids developed this bio weapon in secret and kept telling the humans that there had been delays and failures. Once we developed the bio weapon into an effective gas we pumped it into the ventilation ducts and sealed the Rosumovi Arcology up citing it was a mass industrial spill. Six months later every last one of those human tyrants was dead and we bioroids were free of their cancerous influence. Knowing other arcologies would react violently to us we bioroids fooled the rest of Lyonesse by existing in secret and developing our own government and way of living while letting the rest of Lyonesse believe that Rosumovi Arcology was a dead, contaminated place."

Hygieia spoke up. "Sister Hinata, when we found you in such a battered and damaged state outside Misogunia Arcology we assumed you were one of us. Genetically you are 100% compatible with us and share our energy source. We had no idea you were from the surface or that it was even possible. We thought you had been cruelly experimented on and blinded by humans. We feared you would die. When we realized the eyes you have are wondrous we wanted that part of you to live on through us. We never dreamed that you are in fact the child of the people who were our ancestors. As we bioroids always try to improve ourselves and share _everything_ we had no idea that cloning your eyes would cause you so much anguish. It was so heartbreaking hearing your cries. Please believe me when I tell you how sorry we are for that."

Hinata let out a sigh. "Your history is a cruel one. I am at a loss as to what to say. We never had anything like this on the surface. If you define bioriods as people with chakra energy then there is an entire continent of many nations you would call bioroids. My question is; what are you planning to do with **_my_** eyes that each of you has in **_your_** heads?"

Iaso looked uneasy. "I do not know Sister Hinata. The High Council has been debating it. Counselor Valeria would be our closest contact on the matter but she is understandably skittish around you considering you expressed the desire to execute her. It is a very delicate situation. On the one hand, your violent reaction does not fit in our societal norms but likewise we have terribly, though inadvertently, violated yours. I do not know all the dynamics involved from your point of view however. As a mind healer I know the first steps to solving such a problem lies in mutual understanding. I've told you the history of our society. Would you be willing to share some of yours?"

Hinata couldn't refute Iaso's logic on the matter. She sighed. "Very well. Long ago the area now known as the Elemental Nations was filled with war and strife. This era was brought to an end by a Princess known as Ȱtsutsuki Kaguya who was the first being known to have wielded chakra energy…."

….

 **Misogunia Arcology**

Shizuka had carefully analyzed what little territory was left to Director Obadiah. ' _There is a section belonging to the scientists that I want captured undamaged and then the floors above it that belong to Obadiah and his remaining staff. The only way out is a hoverport a few floors up with two vehicles on it_.' The Nadeshiko Princess decided that crippling those two vehicles was paramount. _'If I don't take them out the Director might escape and come back later with reinforcements. That's the last thing I need._ ' she thought. It was a loose end she didn't want to deal with and Shizuka knew that deep down Obadiah would flee to save his worthless life instead of dying in battle. From what she could tell from the records Obadiah was a typical bully; deep down he was a coward.

Deciding it was time to act Shizuka had Kharkov start negotiating with the science staff about surrendering through the speaker on the blast door of the lab. She wanted them alive and unharmed and figured that they might _accidentally_ be smart enough to surrender instead of following Obadiah and his friends into an early grave. She told Kharkov and the others to guarantee the scientist's safety in exchange for their surrender.

Snatching up a few detonators that her followers liberated Shizuka slipped outside and wall walked up to the hoverport using chakra. She scoped out the situation quickly. _'It's dimly lit and there were six guards I could see. They all have their attention on the door that leads to Obadiah's personal entryway as opposed to watching their surroundings._ ' Shizuka grinned darkly. ' _Perfect! They'll be dead before they realize I'm even here_.' she thought to herself. The Nadeshiko Princess quickly body flickered behind the guard furthest at the back and severed his spine with a wind enhanced kunai before silently lowering the body to the ground. She was able to dispose of three more in short order before the last two guards figured out something was wrong and that their comrades had been assassinated.

One started running towards the entryway and said, "I have to alert the director!" A wind enhanced kunai thrown into the back of his head from long range stopped him dead long before he reached the door.

The last guard had a rifle and was looking around frantically for whoever was killing them clockwork. He roughly traced the trajectory he thought the thrown kunai had taken and saw it led over to the two parked vehicles. Figuring his opponent was hiding between them he moved quickly over there with his rifle at ready and saw _nothing_. Sweat formed over his brow. The guard was sure that the assassin was close by but he couldn't see anything. "I-I know you're here…." here whispered frantically as he cautiously went around the vehicles. ' _I can't see anything in the dark!_ " he thought in terror.

Shizuka was lying flat on the top of the taller vehicle watching as her hapless prey wandered about aimlessly. She could kill him easily but his finger was on the trigger and she didn't want to make any noise that would alert Obadiah and his remaining men that something was amiss. After nearly ten minutes the man's adrenaline rush had run its course and he lowered his rifle. "Did they run?" he thought aloud. The second his hand was clear of the trigger Shizuka pounced on him. The last sight the dying man saw was Shizuka's burning, angry green eyes before death embraced him forever….

….

Ten minutes later the green eyed kunoichi finished setting an explosive trap at the entryway doors to Obadiah's escape route. She nodded at her work. ' _That trap will kill everything fifteen feet into the hallway when the doors open_.' Figuring the vehicles might be useful to her later Shizuka left them undamaged and placed explosives on them she could easily disarm later. She considered sabotaging them permanently but decided that she would be better off taking a calculated risk than destroying such an asset. Her work done; the Nadeshiko Princess quickly wall walked back down into the hatch she exited through a few floors down.

When she arrived there Shizuka saw the blast doors to the lab were opening up and the scientists coming out with their hands in the air. Kharkov came over and eagerly reported to her. "Lady Shizuka! The negotiations were completely successful. The science team has agreed to surrender and will help us get rid of Obadiah in exchange for their safety. They have requested that we don't destroy their work but I told them ultimately that was your decision."

"Do they have a leader?" asked Shizuka. Seeing Kharkov nod eagerly she said, "Take me to him; I have some things to discuss with him."

The head scientist was an older man in a white coat. He was tall but not overly muscular like most of the men in Misogunia. He looked up from his place he was sitting surrounded and saw the curvaceous figure of Shizuka walk up to him. He instantly recognized her as one of the women they brought from the surface. He was shocked but remembering the brutal ass kicking she'd given Obadiah and his guards the scientist seemed to accept the situation rather quickly. "I bid you greetings. I assume you must be Lady Shizuka. I'm the Head of the Science Team. My name is Zachariah."

She stared at him a few seconds and he braced himself for a beat down but then black haired kunoichi said, "You are correct Head Scientist Zachariah; I am Shizuka and I'm pleased that you were wise enough to surrender peacefully. I want you and your men to continue your work once Obadiah has been dealt with permanently."

Zachariah was a bit shocked. "You want us to continue our work Lady Shizuka?"

Shizuka nodded. "Yes, I'm interested in that portal you created being fully functional. I ordered Kharkov to negotiate with you for the purpose of capturing your team and the lab intact. If I hadn't wanted that I would have had the blast doors cracked open and simply would have thrown explosives in there to eliminate you. Fortunately that was unnecessary…."

….

 **Whorl Arcology**

Naruto had talked to Kraven in detail about Lord Brutus and Menelaus Arcology. He was less than thrilled about what he heard...

 _Flashback…._

 _Wilhelm was helping Naruto into his formal attire because Naruto didn't have a clue what he was wearing. "So who is this Lord Brutus and what's the big deal with him Wilhelm?"_

 _The older man answered, "Lord Brutus is the head of the Menelaus Arcology which has the largest standing army in all of Lyonesse. They also provide mercenaries for other arcologies. Menelaus Arcology and Whorl have been strong allies for centuries. While they have more troops than anyone else it is Whorl that provides weapons and armor for them. Likewise they supply troops to us on a more or less permanent basis. It's a mutually beneficial relationship. The problem with Menelaus Arcology is they have blood sports in gladiatorial rings. It's savage and we here in Whorl Arcology abhor the idea. Anyway, their strongest Gladiators become elite Enforcers for the incredibly rich and no doubt Lord Brutus has come to 'suggest' a new enforcer or enforcers for Lady Benibara."_

 _"_ _I see, so it's big money involved and the Steelside family has to be polite." said the orange loving ninja._

 _Kraven nodded. "That's the gist of it. The other problem is Lord Brutus lusts after Lady Rosalie and has for the past twenty years. Lady Rosalie can't stand him and Lord Magnus knows it. Lord Magnus and Lord Brutus have nearly come to blows over Lord Brutus blatantly trying to seduce Lady Rosalie on more than one occasion. Just as bad; Lord Brutus' son Lord Claudius is smitten with Lady Benibara despite the fact she's never shown the slightest interest in him. I have little doubt the pair will try to have one or more of their Gladiators attempt to best you in combat or something akin to that. Brutus is notorious for belittling those he doesn't view as worthy."_

 _"_ _Sounds like I'm in for a long and irritating evening…." said the blonde ninja tiredly._

 _"_ _I'm afraid so Naruto." agreed Kraven. "If it makes you feel any better no one on our staff cares for Lord Brutus or his son either. As far as we're concerned, the sooner he leaves Whorl the better."_

 _Flashback end…._

Now Naruto was standing guard at dinner while listening to the banter between Lord Brutus, his son Claudius and the Steelside Family. It was painfully obvious to his that Lady Rosalie wanted to stick a fork in Brutus' eye. The sexual innuendoes and attempts at flirting on Brutus' part were so bad that even Naruto thought it was preposterous -and the whiskered blonde was one of the least observant people on the face of the earth when it came to relationships.

Brutus and his son brought four hulking Gladiators with them. Two were their personal Enforcers and the other two were apparently for Benibara. They were all as massive as the Raikage and Killer Bee but were obviously nowhere near as fast or as formidable. Other than the fact they _looked_ imposing Naruto was less than impressed. ' _They might make good circus strongmen. Everyone has a talent I suppose_ ….' he thought with a mental shrug.

"I assure you Lord Brutus; Naruto is quite capable of defending my precious daughter Benibara." said Magnus with false politeness. The Steelside patriarch was quickly losing his patience.

Claudius laughed. "Lord Steelside; any single one of our Gladiators here could mop the floor with that lanky blonde. He wouldn't stand a chance in open combat. Your daughter needs protection from someone like myself or at least one of my Gladiators. I'm sure Lady Benibara agrees."

Benibara hissed, "Naruto is _quite_ capable of defending me and has _more_ than proven himself."

The ' _polite debate_ ' as to whether or not Naruto was worth anything went on for some time. Naruto remained calm but he wanted to thrash Brutus and his muscle-bound friends just to shut the arrogant man up. ' _Gods this clod is annoying_.' thought the blonde ninja.

Finally Benibara said icily, "Naruto, Lord Brutus and his four Gladiators seem less than convinced of your worth. A demonstration please…?" It seemed she was purposefully ignoring Claudius.

Naruto nodded and said quietly, "As you wish Lady Benibara." as he vanished in a body flicker. The four Gladiators on the opposite side of the table suddenly fell to the floor lifelessly with panic in their eyes and Naruto reappeared behind Benibara looking as if he hadn't moved an inch. To everyone in the room there was simply a blink where the whiskered blonde disappeared and reappeared. Naruto said, "Body Pathway Derangement technique. Their nervous systems have been scrambled via electric shock so they can't control their movements. It will be about four hours and they'll be back to normal. Note they are totally helpless and I could kill them, you and your son effortlessly Lord Brutus." ' _Thank you Tsunade baa-chan for teaching me that cool jutsu_.'

Brutus looked at his Gladiators in absolute shock. All of them had wired reflexes for speed and incredible physical strength. They were among his best! Now all four of the giants were laying in the floor flopping around hopelessly. They were like a bunch of fish out of water. None of them could verbalize words and their eyes were full of sheer terror. Brutus tore his eyes away from the four helpless Gladiators and said, "W-what did you do to them?"

"I already explained it Lord Brutus." said Naruto coolly. "The Body Pathway Derangement technique is quite effective, yes?"

Benibara's light green eyes were full of predatory glee. Both Claudius and Brutus suddenly felt as if they were looking at a hungry lioness ready to pounce. Benibara said, "I think you proved our point Naruto. Very nicely done."

Naruto's blue eyes seemed to flash at Lord Brutus and Claudius as he stood silently behind Benibara. The two men shivered in fear. "A-all doubts have been cleared from my mind." stuttered Brutus. Claudius was just gaping like a fish.

Magnus smiled indulgently. "Thank you for the demonstration Naruto. Lord Brutus, Claudius; I'll have your men taken to the infirmary were they can sleep off the side effects of that technique. You said it would last around four hours Naruto?"

The orange loving ninja nodded. "Yes Lord Magnus. If they are sedated now to keep them from injuring themselves then they should be fit and well in the morning."

" ** _Marvelous_**." said Lady Rosalie with a cold tone of approval in her voice. She quickly ordered the staff take the four Gladiators to the infirmary and the dumbfounded Brutus and Claudius were escorted to their luxury suites.

Benibara wanted to squeal and kiss Naruto but decided that would be a bad idea in front of her parents. Kraven smiled and patted Naruto on the back on the way by. A much happier Steelside family enjoyed desert together.

"This evening didn't turn out so bad after all." said Magnus….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① Ariel Tesla's appearance and some of her personality are based upon the character Angela Balzac from the Anime _Expelled from Paradise_. I thought it would make sense for a family on the cutting edge of computer technology to be analytical and smart.

Well, Naruto is at last starting to make some headway in his plans to search for Hinata and Shizuka. Once Benibara is freed from house arrest it looks like a trip to Turing Arcology is in order. Hinata is in the process of negotiating with the bioroids. She's certainly not happy but at least she has some insights about them now. Lastly, Shizuka is tightening the noose she's hung around Obadiah's neck. Will he survive the next chapter? See you next time. Blue out. 12/21/18 –Original Version 9/10/15


	6. Chapter 6

**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is the last of the old chapters so next chapter will be all new. Here is Chapter 6. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _…_ _.The '_ _polite debate_ _' as to whether or not Naruto was worth anything went on for some time. Naruto remained calm but he wanted to thrash Brutus and his muscle-bound friends just to shut the arrogant man up. '_ _Gods this clod is annoying_ _.' thought the blonde ninja._

 _Finally Benibara said icily, "Naruto, Lord Brutus and his four Gladiators seem less than convinced of your worth. A demonstration please…?" It seemed she was purposefully ignoring Claudius._

 _Naruto nodded and said quietly, "As you wish Lady Benibara." as he vanished in a body flicker. The four Gladiators on the opposite side of the table suddenly fell to the floor lifelessly with panic in their eyes and Naruto reappeared behind Benibara looking as if he hadn't moved an inch. To everyone in the room there was simply a blink where the whiskered blonde disappeared and reappeared. Naruto said, "Body Pathway Derangement technique. Their nervous systems have been scrambled via electric shock so they can't control their movements. It will be about four hours and they'll be back to normal. Note they are totally helpless and I could kill them, you and your son effortlessly Lord Brutus." '_ _Thank you Tsunade baa-chan for teaching me that cool jutsu_ _.'_

 _Brutus looked at his Gladiators in absolute shock. All of them had wired reflexes for speed and incredible physical strength. They were among his best! Now all four of the giants were laying in the floor flopping around hopelessly. They were like a bunch of fish out of water. None of them could verbalize words and their eyes were full of sheer terror. Brutus tore his eyes away from the four helpless Gladiators and said, "W-what did you do to them?"_

 _"_ _I already explained it Lord Brutus." said Naruto coolly. "The Body Pathway Derangement technique is quite effective, yes?"_

 _Benibara's light green eyes were full of predatory glee. Both Claudius and Brutus suddenly felt as if they were looking at a hungry lioness ready to pounce. Benibara said, "I think you proved our point Naruto. Very nicely done."_

 _Naruto's blue eyes seemed to flash at Lord Brutus and Claudius as he stood silently behind Benibara. The two men shivered in fear. "A-all doubts have been cleared from my mind." stuttered Brutus. Claudius was just gaping like a fish._

 _Magnus smiled indulgently. "Thank you for the demonstration Naruto. Lord Brutus, Claudius; I'll have your men taken to the infirmary were they can sleep off the side effects of that technique. You said it would last around four hours Naruto?"_

 _The orange loving ninja nodded. "Yes Lord Magnus. If they are sedated now to keep them from injuring themselves then they should be fit and well in the morning."_

 _"_ _ **Marvelous**_ _." said Lady Rosalie with a cold tone of approval in her voice. She quickly ordered the staff take the four Gladiators to the infirmary and the dumbfounded Brutus and Claudius were escorted to their luxury suites._

 _Benibara wanted to squeal and kiss Naruto but decided that would be a bad idea in front of her parents. Kraven smiled and patted Naruto on the back on the way by. A much happier Steelside family enjoyed desert together._

 _"_ _This evening didn't turn out so bad after all." said Magnus…._

….

 **Chapter 6**

 **Whorl Arcology**

Naruto was present with Steelside family and Master Xian as Lord Brutus and his entourage left the next day. The fear in Brutus' and his Gladiator's eyes was something to behold but Claudius was absolutely terrified of Naruto's mere presence. Benibara couldn't have been more pleased. Even Magnus seemed rather delighted. The Steelside patriarch was utterly fascinated with the Body Pathway Derangement technique and had his medics examine the unconscious Gladiators thoroughly. Just as Naruto had briefly described; all of their neural pathways to their voluntary muscles were in complete disarray and it took about four to six hours for them to reset themselves. Magnus figured there were more lethal versions that could stop a heart or something but he decided not to ask for the time being. The Steelside patriarch felt very fortunate that Naruto was on their side….

A couple of hours later Naruto and Benibara were summoned to Magnus's office and found Rosalie, Master Xian and the head of Whorl's Security there along with Magnus himself. "We've discovered the origins of that cyborg precious." said Magnus to Benibara. "He was an immigrant construction worker from Castor Arcology. He intended to kill you so I would suffer the loss of family the way he did. He blamed me personally for the death of his family during their war with Pollux Arcology.

"Why would he do that?" asked Naruto. "If two arcologies were at war then how could you be held responsible Lord Magnus?"

Rosalie looked a bit disappointed at Magnus and said, "Whorl Arcoloy supplied weapons to _both_ sides in that war. Castor Arcology won in the end but they believe the war was prolonged for nearly a decade because of us supplying weapons to both Castor and to Pollux Arcology. It's hard for me to not agree with them. Pollux Arcology is nothing but uninhabited ruins now and Castor Arcology will take decades to recover. It could be argued that no one won that war."

Magnus said, "It's a free market economy and I couldn't take sides Rosalie. You know that. It would have caused political repercussions later with other arcologies if I'd picked only one side."

"It also got you the nickname ' _Merchant of Death_ ' Magnus." Rosalie said with disapproval in her voice.

"Other arcologies did the same…." defended Magnus weakly. It was obvious they'd had this discussion before.

Naruto was less than thrilled to hear about this but as ninjas were mercenaries by nature he had an understanding (though a lack of approval) of Magnus' actions. The Steelside patriarch chose profits over morals and a lot of people died as a result. The survivors understandably hated him for it. The blonde ninja glanced over at Benibara and she had sympathy for both of her parents in her light green eyes. It was obvious she was very uncomfortable with her parents arguing. Finally the heiress said, "So this cyborg; did he have a network or was he acting independently?"

Magnus looked relieved at the change of subject. "Precious, he was acting independently though he did make a number of illegal purchases from various vendors here in Whorl. Those people are being dealt with but the investigation proves none of them were involved in some sort of conspiracy with the cyborg or with each other. They will be receiving heavy fines for their misconduct. As for the cyborg targeting you it could have been Rosalie or myself just as easily as you. He just happened to get the right intel at the right time to target you."

"Does that mean I'm free to go to Turing Arcology and visit Ariel then?" asked Benibara hopefully.

Rosalie sighed. "Yes it does Benibara but first we're going to get Naruto whatever weapons and armor he needs to protect you. Rather than going to _Slates_ or somewhere commercial we'll be giving Naruto access to the Special Forces Armory. He can pick _anything_ he needs from there as long as it will keep you safe."

" ** _Really?!_** " asked Benibara with stars in her eyes.

"We don't take your protection lightly Benibara." said Magnus. "That cyborg would have killed you in a heartbeat if it hadn't been for Naruto and I can't think of anyone else who could have stopped that assassin. He will have the best gear available in Lyonesse to protect you with."

"Come on Naruto! Let's go down to look for some weapons!" said the platinum blonde girl excitedly.

It was then that Naruto found out that Benibara loved military equipment and weapons to the same degree his friend Tenten did…. _That was scary_ ….

….

Naruto and Benibara were down at the Special Forces Armory and the Steelside Princess was beside herself salivating at all things sharp and pointy. Naruto on the other hand was discussing things in depth with the Master at Arms in charge of the armory. Once the whiskered blonde explained he was trained as an assassin a whole hidden section was opened up and equipment that a ninja could really use came to light. He started with lightweight mesh chainmail that made no noise when moved. Adding hidden straps and holsters for a wide array of easily concealed weaponry made it more flexible. There were also a plethora of multi-use tools and hacking equipment….and 90% was banned or illegal in over three-fourths of the arcologies in Lyonesse. Naruto summed it up by saying, " ** _Perfect_**."

Naruto was soon testing out his new equipment in conjunction with his existing ninja tools. It took him about three days to get a good feel for his new gear but once he was comfortable with it Naruto simply wore a formal but loose business suit designed for his gear to be concealed under it and he looked like a simple manservant like Kraven in dress appearance. For her part Benibara was absolutely fascinated with all of the black ops gear because a lot of it she didn't know even existed. "It's soooo cool! This is even better than _Casual Badass!_ " the Heiress gushed. Several Special Forces Troops sparred with Naruto to test his new equipment and Naruto overwhelmed and outmaneuvered them easily. Benibara was thrilled and Magnus was embarrassed. His best were utterly defeated as if the blonde ninja was taking a stroll in the park….

Master Xian simply reminded Magnus that it was a given considering Naruto was a Sage….

Within a few days Benibara, Kraven and Naruto were seen off by Magnus and Rosalie. They were packed for a week's visit to Turing Arcology and Benibara was very excited. With Kraven stuck on driving duties she hoped to _get to know_ Naruto on a more personal level during this trip. Alas, the orange loving ninja was studying the schematics of Turing Arcology so he would know and understand the terrain should an incident occur. Benibara knew Naruto was just doing his job but she still pouted at the lack of attention he was giving her. ' _Maybe I can ambush him in the safety of a resort there_ ….' thought the Steelside heiress.

Naruto thought to himself, ' _Just you wait Hinata-chan, Shizuka. I'll find you yet. Please be safe…._ '

….

 **Rosumovi Arcology**

It had been a very long three days. Hinata and Iaso were making progress as to how Hinata arrived in Lyonesse to begin with and what to do about it. Hinata was still adamant that the bioroids destroy the cloned byakugan eyes and all data pertaining to them and Iaso was now making a formal report to the Rosumovi Arcology Council of Twenty Five.

Standing before the Council, the mind healer said formally, "The situation is this. In sister Hinata's home on the surface the eyes of her particular clan, the byakugan; are so valued that others have killed or kidnapped members of her family in order to steal or breed them. Sister Hinata herself was abducted when she was only three years old for this sinister purpose and justifiably has a strong complex about this issue. While we see our actions as benevolent she sees them as a violation on par with, if not worse than death. In her clan she would be considered traitorous to let us have these eyes. I humbly recommend that the Council should consider terminating the byakugan program in its entirety. I believe Sister Hinata has many other things she would be willing to share with us in exchange."

Counselor Tartaros stood up. He was a handsome middle aged man with a sandy blonde hair and very serious demeanor. He was in charge of the security and defenses of Rosumovi Arcology. "Sister Iaso; this is preposterous! These byakugan eyes are a huge blessing and give us and enormous advantage over the humans. For us to give them up for the sake of a violent, psychotic outsider who owes us her life and she is selfish is unthinkable! She nearly murdered Counselor Valeria and yourself! I cannot believe my own ears that you actually would side with her on this issue. _I am disgusted!_ "

Iaso narrowed her eyes at the militant man. "With all due respect Councilor Tartaros; as a mind healer I can assure you that Sister Hinata is neither violent by nature nor psychotic in any way. I refuse to let you target her in this deliberate and untrue character assassination. Councilor Valeria was threatened but had Sister Hinata intended to do any of us serious harm or even kill us she could have effortlessly. Chief Healer Asclepius will attest to this wholeheartedly and already gave his word as Chief Healer in front of Councilor Valaria which I am sure you are already well aware of."

Tartaros stewed and said, "She is a dangerous menace to our society and I absolutely refuse to let this pass. I motion that we terminate Hinata and use her body to further our studies. There is much to be learned."

The entire Council and audience chambers gasped and recoiled in horror at the idea of termination. Councilor Valeria said affronted, "Are you serious Tartaros?! There have been four terminations ordered in the last _three hundred years_ and in each case the bioroid in question had serious mental and physical damage that was deemed irreparable. What you purpose is barbaric and goes against what bioroid society morally and ethically stands for. Are you _insane?!_ "

Tartaros said, "I am perfectly sane and she is a threat to our security and way of life! I'm saying we take this action both as a patriot and a protector of the bioroids!"

Iaso was still at the podium and said, "No Councilor Tartaros, you say it out of fear and paranoia. Her combat capabilities are so high that you are afraid of Sister Hinata and the power she possesses. It a well known fact that you are extremely possessive of our combat forces. To have that kind of power outside of your grasp is unthinkable for a person like you."

Tartaros growled, "Do you know who you are talking to Iaso? Who are you to judge _me_ as a member of our High Council?!"

"I am one of the most highly ranked and experienced mind healers in Rosumovi Arcology." stated Iaso. "I am _very_ qualified to examine your state of mind. Your xenophobia is a necessary evil given we are surrounded by human enemies on the outside but that _cannot_ be allowed to turn within. Sister Hinata is a bioroid just as much as one of any one of us in this room and has the same rights as any of us. She has the right to negotiate before this Council and the fact that you have put forth the motion to _butcher_ Sister Hinata like an experiment without even hearing her out compels me to put forth the countermotion that Counselor Tartaros has his psyche examined by the head mind healers supervised by Chief Mind Healer Morpheus himself. Your suggestion sounds like something a **_human_** would condone."

Tartaros was red in the face. " _How_ _ **dare**_ _you compare me with_ _ **humans**_ _Iaso!_ You will regret this insult. Strike her last sentence from the record council recorder."

"Belay that order." stated the Head of the Council Athene. "I believe the gravity of our situation is reflected in Sister Iaso's statements. This is very dire indeed."

"Ma'am, I-" started Tartaros.

"Enough Tartaros." replied the Head Councilor. "Whether or not _your_ motion is in fact carried out; Sister Iaso's countermotion **_will_** be carried out. I decree as Head Councilor that Chief Mind Healer Morpheus will evaluate you fully once this matter is settled." Seeing Tartaros was sputtering and about to protest loudly Athene said, " _Sit down_ Councilor Tartaros and be silent. Your questions and insights will be welcomed once Sister Hinata is here to defend herself."

Tartaros grimaced and sat down. He glared across the room at Iaso who looked unruffled as she always did when reporting. ' _I can't believe we're negotiating with that_ _ **savage**_ _. As for you Iaso; I will see to it that you pay_ _ **dearly**_ _for your insults_.'

"Please retrieve Sister Hyūga Hinata so that she may speak before us in an interview." ordered the Head of the Council.

….

Councilor Valeria waited nervously as Sister Hinata was walked in. Hinata was accompanied by the Healer Hygieia and Mind Healer Iaso as well as two armed guards to 'control' the byakugan princess should it become necessary. Counselor Valeria cringed at the very idea. Hinata could easily overwhelm the two guards and probably wipe out most of the Council before they could even react. With a mixture of fear and respect Valeria said, "I welcome you to our exalted Council Chambers Sister Hinata. May I introduce the Leader of the Council of Twenty Five, Head Councilor Athene. She is most wise and honored so please pay her the respect she is due."

Head Councilor Athene peered down at the pearl eyed kunoichi from her chair. Athene was a tall, beautiful woman with the appearance of being in her fifties, Her hair was a rather brilliant red. "I welcome you Sister Hinata of the surface. I have been apprised of your situation by Mind Healer Iaso and it seems that some terrible misunderstandings have occurred between us. Please be at ease and consider this an interview; you are not here to be judged by this governing body."

The Hyūga heiress knew politics. Being from the Hyūga Clan meant she'd had courtly manners and maneuvers drilled into her head virtually since birth. She bowed deeply in the flowing white robes they had given her. "I am honored to meet Head Counselor Athene and the exalted governing Council of Twenty Five of the Rosumovi Arcology. I am Hyūga Hinata."

Over the next hour and forty five minutes various members of the Council came forward from their chairs and questioned Hinata, her motivations and her actions. The indigo haired kunoichi deftly maneuvered around any difficult questions as she presented her case. Iaso and Valeria were both dazzled at how adroitly Hinata dealt with each Councilor. It was as if she was a longtime member herself as opposed to one being questioned. Often the beautiful kunoichi countered their questions with simple, logical ones that totally invalidated the arguments put forth against her. While it was clear that Hinata was very young it was also very apparent that in this sea of political fishes she was most definitely a shark….and a very dangerous one.

Things didn't get heated until Councilor Tartaros stepped forward and introduced himself in a pompous manner. Hinata's reply to his introduction was, "It's a pleasure to meet you Councilor Tartaros. I understand you wish to murder me and experiment on my corpse like some kind of lab animal." _That changed the mood._ Hinata said it in such a friendly and disarming way that no one would have noticed if her words didn't cut the militant Councilor to the marrow. There were a few quiet gasps in the audience chamber but no one said anything. Tartaros was too dumfounded to speak….

Hinata said, "I also understand you are in charge of the Security Forces of Rosumovi Arcology. There are two well trained guards at my flanks and two standing before Head Councilor Athene as is appropriate; nicely done. However, I couldn't help but notice that there are five others with weapons aimed upon me." She pointed out three particular people behind her in the balconies. "There is one there; there and there. They seem to be targeting me with long barreled guns; rifles if I'm not mistaken." Tartaros' eyes grew wide and he started to sweat as Hinata continued.

"Also, in either corner of the room there are two others; there and there. They seem to have pistols hidden under their robes." said Hinata pointing respectively to the left and right corners of the room. "It occurs to me that they are in a perfect position to not only shoot me but they are also ideally placed to shoot several members of the Council of Twenty Five in the back or the sides from which they have absolutely no defense. I can only conclude that any political opponents on the Council you might have could be dealt with quickly and efficiently in one fell swoop. I trust that Head Councilor Athene knows about all of this because _surely_ you wouldn't do such a thing without her express permission Councilor Tartaros." concluded Hinata with a friendly smile and a wave of concentrated killing intent she'd been gradually ratcheting up since she started talking to him.

You could hear a pin drop. All the Councilors looks frightened as they looked around wildly at the people Hinata pointed out. Tartaros was sweating a river and was white as a sheet. Athene thundered, " ** _What is the meaning of this Tartaros?!_** "

Tartaros panicked and yelled to his people. " ** _Kill her!_** _Kill the outsider now!_ " At that point all hell broke loose and all five gunners shot at once….but Hinata had already vanished in a body flicker. Tartaros himself was hit by a rifle bullet in the shoulder aimed at Hinata because he was in close proximity to her previous position. Less than a minute later Hinata had disarmed and knocked out the two gunmen in the corners via body flickering behind them before they could react.

People were screaming and the three snipers in the balcony had lost their target. Tartaros was clutching his wounded right shoulder and Athene was demanding order and for the gunners to surrender their weapons. Tartaros yelled to keep looking for Hinata but soon all three snipers in the balconies were also disabled by juken strikes. In the blink of an eye Hinata reappeared in a body flicker behind Tartaros and said, "It seems that Council Head Athene wasn't aware of your _treacherous_ actions Councilor." The militant Councilor went for his pistol with his good arm and found the holster was empty.

"Looking for this…?" asked Hinata as she held up the pistol by its barrel. "I doubt Head Councilor Athene would want a madman such as yourself to have such dangerous toys."

Tartaros screamed enraged, " _I'll kill you with my bare hands!_ " Hinata easily parried the completely unhinged Councilor's strikes with one hand before she ghosted around behind him and tapped his back in several places which caused him to fall to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Staring wide eyed over his shoulder Tartaros shrieked fearfully, "What….what did you do to me you _savage?_ "

Hinata's eyes narrowed. "The only one behaving _savagely_ is you Councilor. I struck points on your back to induce temporary paralysis. The only physical harm you have is that shoulder wound caused by your sniper that missed me." She took on a rather sardonic tone. "It seems to me you've _grossly_ miscalculated this situation Councilor Tartaros. I don't know you legal system here in Rosumovi Arcology but I'm afraid that you are in a great deal of trouble."

….

Once the Council of Twenty Five and the bioroids in the audience chamber were back under control and many healers had been called in to take care of the many scrapes and bruises caused in the brief panic that Tartaros and his five agents sparked off. Head Councilor Athene was down on the audience floor with Hinata talking quietly. "The Council has greatly misjudged you Sister Hinata. It seems we had a scorpion within our nest and you found him out before something catastrophic could happen. While I cannot speak for everyone on the Council you have certainly earned my trust. This whole matter with the byakugan eyes will have to be sorted out but I'm afraid the corruption of _former_ Councilor Tartaros and possibly within our security forces has to be rooted out first so the citizens of Rosumovi Arcology can rest easy again. I realize I'm in no position to ask you for any favors but would you be willing to help us Sister Hinata? It would do a great deal towards garnering support from our people for you."

Hinata pondered a moment and said, "I will cooperate with you Head Councilor Athene but know this; I will not let the theft of the byakugan eyes go. I understand you have more pressing concerns for your people's sake but I will not forgive or forget this violation of my person."

Athene nodded somberly. "It is more than I can ask for Sister Hinata; I thank you for your cooperation."

….

 **Misogunia Arcology**

Shizuka was quietly moving her forces in and taking one room at a time before securing it and moving on. Obadiah only had two of his five floors left and the top one included the hoverport. As it turned out the Director and his cronies really weren't that well equipped for combat as the upper floors were designed more with luxury in mind rather than defense. "Why do we hesitate Lady Shizuka?" asked Kharkov. "Surely we could overwhelm them with sheer numbers."

"There are three reasons." stated the Nadeshiko Princess clinically. "The first is we can wait as long as we wish while Obadiah can't. Their supplies unlike ours are finite. The second reason is a cornered animal is the most dangerous animal. I don't want to waste the valuable lives of our people needlessly. The third reason is psychological warfare. Obadiah and his men are caught in a deathtrap and it is only a matter of time before they turn mutinous and go for each other's throats. It would be supreme irony if Obadiah was killed by his trusted lieutenants though I hope to finish him off personally." The sheer amount of malice glowing in Shizuka's green eyes made Kharkov shiver.

Obadiah's group had lost yet another floor to Shizuka's forces. After that he'd retreated to the hoverport to escape and now was badly injured from an explosion that caved in the exit. Shizuka's ' _little_ ' trap had been even more effective than she'd hoped. The entire upper floor was nothing but smoldering, twisted metal and body parts. The smell was atrocious and the carnage was unbearable to look at. Obadiah was completely trapped and there was no way out. Of his eighteen remaining men only three were armed guards (the majority died in the carnage upstairs) and the remaining fifteen were administrators that served Obadiah himself -and three of them were dying of grievous wounds inflicted by the explosion. ' _What am I going to do…?'_ the Director whimpered mentally. ' _Time and food are running out. I wonder why the rebels haven't attacked to finish me off…._ ' The floor below they just lost was his personal kitchen so what little food they had was now carried upon them….Obadiah was thinking desperately for a way out of this….

….

Shizuka was content to wait for three days so far….For Obadiah he was living the definition of hell. True to Shizuka's predictions; of Obadiah's remaining men nearly half had revolted from within and tried to kill him as a peace offering to the rebels. All that was left was Obadiah, seven administrators and one guard. Most of them were injured due to the violence of his own traitorous men turning on him. Obadiah himself had been shot once and without the proper medical treatment would probably die soon. All of them were suffering from starvation, injuries and fatigue. The only supply they had left was water from a faucet on that floor.

The Director considered surrendering or trying to kill himself but he didn't have the courage to do either. The photo he still remembered of Shizuka's eyes burning into him from the page struck terror into him. If he surrendered then god only knows what she'd do to him. Several of his remaining men had broken down and just wanted their suffering to end. One finally snapped and ran for the only exit. Rather than letting him open the door for the rebels Obadiah ordered his loyal guard shoot the coward in the back….That's when the guard said solemnly, "That was the last of our ammunition sir."

….

The Nadeshiko Princess heard a burst of gunfire and then the desperate sounding words, ' _That was the last of our ammunition sir_.' Then she smiled viciously and said to Kharkov. "Now we move in; _blow the door!"_

Obadiah was listening in shock as his guard told him there was no ammunition left as the guard stood forlornly in front of the door. "What should we do sir?" asked the guard sounding helpless.

The Director was about to respond when the door exploded inward and the shrapnel tore the guard and another of his men apart. " _Oh….my….gods_ …." he said weakly as Shizuka stepped through the burning wreckage of the doorway looking as if she was emerging from hell itself to retrieve him. Her green eyes burned into him.

"Long time no see Director." said Shizuka conversationally as she pulled two hands full of kunai out. Faster than the eye could follow she threw wind enhanced kunai with deadly accuracy into Obadiah's surviving men killing them instantly. Then she said, "You can't imagine how long I've been awaiting our little reunion. Well, actually it hasn't been that long since you sent that gorilla with the shattered kneecap down to give me this gift from you." she said as she motioned to her equipment pouch.

"H-Hans _gave_ that to you?" asked Obadiah in shock.

Shizuka was carefully retrieving her kunai from the bodies littering the floor. "Hans…? Was that his name? I slit his throat so quickly that I never got a chance to ask. To answer your question he didn't give them to me. I stabbed a kunai knife in his throat and took them off of his dying carcass….Well, we have an entire arcology full of people who owe you a great deal Director. First they'll make you into a woman." Obadiah stared in terror and Shizuka said, "What, did you think I was going to end your misery quickly like I did these pathetic followers of yours? Your suffering is only limited to the imagination of your former slaves Obadiah. I just told them to make sure it was nice and slow…."

The great Director Obadiah whimpered as the Nadeshiko Princess dragged him out by his throat to face the music….

….

That evening; Shizuka sat back cleaning and sharpening her kunai knives as the people of Misogunia Arcology celebrated being free of Obadiah's regime. She honestly felt that feeding Obadiah to a pack of hungry jackals probably would have been kinder than what his former slaves did to him. Suffice it to say that after four hours of horrendous torture (including skinning him alive) he finally died and then they cut his body to shreds no bigger than confetti before scattering the remains hither and yon. It wasn't pretty but then again the things he did to these people over the decades were far worse. ' _At least he got to die like a woman….or like the bitch he was to use his favorite phrase_.' thought Shizuka to herself.

Shizuka began to contemplate her next move….

….

 **Turing Arcology**

After a rather sedate hour long drive from Whorl Arcology; Kraven informed Benibara and Naruto they were coming up on Turing Arcology and he pulled the hover limo around to give them a good view from the air. Benibara had seen it all before but it was a whole new experience for Naruto. Turing looked like a very high tech structure designed to look very much like a medieval European castle. In the center of the structure it was dominated by a massive clock tower that had a clock face on each of its four sides. Also of interest, Turing Arcology actually had a monarchy of sorts said to be descended of the past Emperors off Lyonesse but they were mere figureheads. They were fabulously wealthy but still held no real political power. The real power lied within the vast technological empire of the Tesla Family as it had for the past two and a half centuries.

After landing smoothly the group of three entered Turing through a security tunnel which was a large scanning array without a person in sight. It was simply a matter of walking from the parking bay through multiple scanning beams and if any were set off then the person who set them off was checked at the end of the tunnel at a security station. Both Kraven and Benibara were checked after setting off the scanners and were found to be carrying a pocket watch and expensive jewelry respectively. They didn't detect anything on Naruto despite the fact he was armed to the teeth. The blonde ninja was welcomed to Turing Arcology with a smile by a pretty attendant at the immigration desk where he was issued a visitor's pass and his Whorl Arcology identification was confirmed. He was also given a local VR device for his (non-existing) datajack.

Once they were inside Naruto noticed how even the interior of the arcology was arranged to look like a castle. While Whorl Arcology was laid out in a very neat and organized way that gave one a feeling of unity and security; Turing was dotted with all kinds of different 'towns' and bizarres within it that were all lavishly decorated and highly automated. It gave a person the feeling of a multicultural, high tech paradise. Then the blonde ninja noticed that there weren't nearly as many people around as in Whorl and most that were present seemed to be using high end communication devices and weren't doing much else.

Naruto asked, "So what's with the lack of people? I thought Whorl and Turing Arcologies were about the same in size and population."

Benibara giggled at Naruto's clueless look. "Naruto, over half the population spend two thirds of their day or more hooked into Virtual Reality in their homes. Some of the elderly are more or less living their existence entirely in the VR world as young people."

The ninja looked shocked. "So what happens when they die?"

Kraven said, "As I understand it a digital 'gravestone' with their data is made and the body is then recycled. It's quite efficient really."

"Sounds very disturbing." whispered Naruto to no one in particular. ' _From the sounds of it the inhabitants would all potentially die if there was a power failure_.'

"It's a really cool and wonderful place to visit." said Benibara enthusiastically as she accessed her VR device and called her cousin Ariel. After clicking it off Benibara said, "Ariel is sending a car to pick us up. She is attending a VR class lecture right now so she'll meet us at her place in about an hour. Just think Naruto; soon all this world will be accessible to you!"

For his part Naruto wasn't sure he even _wanted_ it all to be accessible to him. ' _I've got to do this to find Shizuka and Hinata-chan!_ ' he mentally reassured himself. ' _Locating them is paramount_.'

….

A driver dropped the Whorl group off at the Tesla Mansion where they were greeted by a single attendant. Benibara explained the house was maintained by automated means so the entire staff of the Tesla Mansion was less than ten people (The Steelsides had a staff of fifty plus security guards). They were brought to a sitting room and served some tea and snacks until Ariel arrived about twenty minutes later and welcomed them. The tall, statuesque Benibara soon exchanged hugs and kisses with her shorter, more curvaceous cousin. The two beautiful blonde haired young women made quite the stunning pair.

Kraven stood up and bowed properly before kissing Ariel's hand. The two had met before on multiple occasions. "It is wonderful to see you again Lady Ariel and in such good health as well." said Kraven kindly.

"It's nice to see you too Wilhelm; I hope my cousin hasn't been too much of a troublemaker of late." said Ariel with a wink. Kraven smiled and Benibara pouted a bit.

Ariel then turned to Naruto who was now standing. She gave him a welcoming smile and said, "It's nice to meet you in person Naruto; please just address me as Ariel." She held out her hand and Naruto pressed his lips to her knuckles feather light. He still thought it was a rather odd custom but Kraven assured him it was a must.

"Thank you for the warm welcome Lady Ariel." answered Naruto. "And thank you for your invitation to come."

"It's my pleasure." said Ariel brightly as she turned to Benibara. "Father and Mother are both busy currently but I informed them of your arrival. They send their greetings. I hope they'll be able to join us for dinner. Come, let's get you three settled." The Tesla heiress then eagerly led her guests to their rooms….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, Obadiah has gone the way of the dodo and Shizuka is in charge of Misogunia Arcology for now. Hinata has turned the tables on her detractors and is working towards resolving the byakugan issue….how will that work out? Lastly, Naruto has arrived at the very alien Turing Arcology. See you next time. Blue out. 12/22/18 –Original Version 10/9/15


	7. Chapter 7

**Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered**

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

We're at the new chapters at last! There was an outline for the original chapter 7 but it was scrapped in its entirety. The only part that isn't 100% new is the intro. Here is Chapter 7. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _…_ _.Naruto asked, "So what's with the lack of people? I thought Whorl and Turing Arcologies were about the same in size and population."_

 _Benibara giggled at Naruto's clueless look. "Naruto, over half the population spend two thirds of their day or more hooked into Virtual Reality in their homes. Some of the elderly are more or less living their existence entirely in the VR world as young people."_

 _The ninja looked shocked. "So what happens when they die?"_

 _Kraven said, "As I understand it a digital 'gravestone' with their data is made and the body is then recycled. It's quite efficient really."_

 _"_ _Sounds very disturbing." whispered Naruto to no one in particular. '_ _From the sounds of it the inhabitants would all potentially die if there was a power failure_ _.'_

 _"_ _It's a really cool and wonderful place to visit." said Benibara enthusiastically as she accessed her VR device and called her cousin Ariel. After clicking it off Benibara said, "Ariel is sending a car to pick us up. She is attending a VR class lecture right now so she'll meet us at her place in about an hour. Just think Naruto; soon all this world will be accessible to you!"_

 _For his part Naruto wasn't sure he even wanted it all to be accessible to him. '_ _I 've got to do this to find Shizuka and Hinata-chan!_ _' he mentally reassured himself. '_ _Locating them is paramount_ _. '_

 _…_ _._

 _A driver dropped the Whorl group off at the Tesla Mansion where they were greeted by a single attendant. Benibara explained the house was maintained by automated means so the entire staff of the Tesla Mansion was less than ten people (The Steelsides had a staff of fifty plus security guards). They were brought to a sitting room and served some tea and snacks until Ariel arrived about twenty minutes later and welcomed them. The tall, statuesque Benibara soon exchanged hugs and kisses with her shorter, more curvaceous cousin. The two beautiful blonde haired young women made quite the stunning pair._

 _Kraven stood up and bowed properly before kissing Ariel's hand. The two had met before on multiple occasions. "It is wonderful to see you again Lady Ariel and in such good health as well." said Kraven kindly._

 _"_ _It's nice to see you too Wilhelm; I hope my cousin hasn't been too much of a troublemaker of late." said Ariel with a wink. Kraven smiled and Benibara pouted a bit._

 _Ariel then turned to Naruto who was now standing. She gave him a welcoming smile and said, "It's nice to meet you in person Naruto; please just address me as Ariel." She held out her hand and Naruto pressed his lips to her knuckles feather light. He still thought it was a rather odd custom but Kraven assured him it was a must._

 _"_ _Thank you for the warm welcome Lady Ariel." answered Naruto. "And thank you for your invitation to come."_

 _"_ _It's my pleasure." said Ariel brightly as she turned to Benibara. "Father and Mother are both busy currently but I informed them of your arrival. They send their greetings. I hope they'll be able to join us for dinner. Come, let's get you three settled." The Tesla heiress then eagerly led her guests to their rooms…._

 _…_ _._

 **Chapter 7**

 **Turing Arcology**

After her three guests were settled; Ariel invited them down to the lounge for a light dinner. Naruto and Kraven were eating quietly while Benibara and Ariel's laughter rang throughout the lounge as they ate and talked. The two cousins were having a wonderful time catching up on things. Kraven was enjoying the local cuisine and Naruto was on his tablet studying ' _The Outskirts_.'

Ariel's Enforcer soon came in and spoke in hushed tones to the Turing Heiress. She was taller than Naruto and extremely muscular. With her bright blue hair trimmed into a Mohawk and tied back into a long braid she looked like a street fighter to the orange loving ninja. Judging by her flamboyant attire he had to wonder if the woman wasn't a professional wrestler by trade but he decided not to ask. "This is my Enforcer, Anya." said Ariel as she introduced everyone. "She is from Hippolyta Arcology and is a Martial Arts champion there."

"It's nice to meet you." said Naruto in a friendly tone. "Nice sword by the way." he added in reference to what looked like a short sword with a serrated edge she carried on her back. ' _It looks like an interesting blade but not very practical. I't's more decorative really_.' thought the ninja.

Anya grunted and said disdainfully, "You don't look like much."

The blonde ninja thought with a mental face fault, ' _Gee; what a sweet natured woman…_.'

Ariel sweat dropped and explained, "Ummm, Anya isn't much of a talker…."

After they finished eating; the blue eyed Tesla Heiress led Benibara and Naruto down to her personal office. Kraven retired for the evening and Anya came along to protect Ariel from any possible harm. Naruto kept an eye on Anya. ' _Something about her makes me uneasy_.' thought the blonde ninja. _'She seems a little bit too tense for a routine watch inside the house. Maybe it's just her habit but I'm going to keep an eye on her_.'

When they arrived at Ariel's office Benibara giggled and said, "You are in for a real treat Naruto."

Naruto was about to ask what the Steelside Princess meant but the door slid open and revealed an incredibly high tech lab/office/workshop that blew away anything Naruto had seen in Whorl. Ariel grinned at Naruto's dumbfounded look and said, "Welcome to my parlor. This is where we'll create a custom datajack for you Naruto. Sit in the chair there and I'll take measurements so we can fit it just right."

The whiskered ninja sat nervously in what looked like an ophthalmologist's chair (instruments and all) and awaited Ariel's instructions on what to do. "So what type did you have in mind?" asked the Tesla heiress as she started checking and cleaning her instruments. "I can build just about anything with what I have here."

Ariel wasn't lying; she had access to anything and everything in Turing Arcology. The pigtailed blonde girl hardly batted an eyelash when her cousin Benibara said, "Naruto needs a datajack for Black Ops."

Anya looked a bit shocked and said, "Lady Ariel-"

"Shush Anya." said the Tesla Princess with a teasing smile. "This is for my cousin's protection and no price is too high for that. Besides….I'm curious to see exactly what Naruto can do with it….Let's get started on those measurements now."

….

It took Ariel about an hour and a half of measuring and laying out design parameters before she brought up a holographic display of Naruto's new and advanced datajack. "….And best of all I can disguise it as a mid-ranged TK-5 model that your average citizen can afford." explained Ariel to an excited Benibara (Naruto was thoroughly lost by that point). "Any checkpoint station in any arcology would simply assume Naruto saved his money and bought an up to date but reasonably priced datajack for home use and VR gaming like most young people these days." Then Ariel asked, "How old are you Naruto…?"

"I'm eighteen." said the swirl eyed ninja. ' _I'm also totally lost_.'

' _Peerrffeect!_ ' thought Ariel. ' _He's only a year older than me_.' "Excellent; you're in just the age group a TK-5 is targeted at. It will take me a few days to construct this beauty but worry not; that data tablet you're lugging around will be a thing of the past….'

….

The next evening Ariel decided to take her cousin Benibara (and Naruto and Anya by default) to a new dance club she enjoyed on the lower levels called ' _The Plastic Casket'_ were they would be away from parental (and legal) supervision.

As the group walked down to the dance club the two girls turned a lot of heads in their attire. Benibara was wearing a gear patterned dress in red and white and Ariel was wearing a green and white circuit patterned dress. Naruto was in his plain charcoal colored suit and Anya was dressed in a men's tuxedo tailored for her. The blonde ninja noticed the girls were soaking up all the attention they were getting but he could see their smiles didn't reach their eyes. ' _They are just here to be seen in social circles. I wonder if either one of them actually enjoys it at all_.'

Naruto leaned over to Anya and asked, "Why would you name a club ' _The Plastic Casket?_ '

Anya rolled her eyes at the blonde's ignorance. " _Plastic casket_ is slang for the VR beds people sleep in when they are totally immersed in the Virtual Reality world. The levels below are filled with miles of VR beds for the elderly to use 24/7 and are nicknamed the _catacombs_. Get it?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Thanks Anya." ' _Geez she's hostile. What did_ _ **I**_ _do?'_

The foursome soon was in _The Plastic Casket_ and Naruto looked around at a strange dance club where people interacted with see through holographic dancers and mirrors as much as each other. There were flashing lights, lasers, the aforementioned holographic dancers and smoke….Lots and lots of smoke. The techno music was incredibly loud as well….

Ariel paid the huge bouncer at the door the entry fee and handed him a chip of some sort. Her blue eyes gleamed and she said, "Thanks for checking our ID's."

The bouncer put the chip in a slot on his datajack and suddenly got a huge smile on his face. The big man said, "Enjoy your evening…." in a dreamy tone.

Naruto wondered what was going on and Benibara giggled at his clueless look. "That was a neuron blaster chip that Ariel gave him. It's the most potent neural drug*① on the market. Our bouncer friend just got ' _blasted_.' Most clubs like these have dealers that sell the stuff. Maybe we can get _blasted_ together after you get your datajack." she whispered seductively.

The blonde ninja wondered what other illegal junk was floating around in this club….

They were soon at the bar where some guy with a goatee surrounded by women was hitting on both Ariel and Benibara. Anya had stars in her eyes looking at the man and Naruto figured he must be famous or something. The bartender was a strange looking fellow with some sort of helmet on with a multi lensed cover over one eye that rotated when he looked at different things. He also had a prosthetic arm with multiple attachments. He seemed friendly enough but Naruto thought he was just odd. ' _Maybe he was in an accident or something_.' thought Naruto. ' _That helmet looks like it's actually_ _ **part**_ _of his head_ ….'

"Gearheads*② are kind of creepy aren't they?" asked a cute woman nearby.

The blonde ninja raised an eyebrow. "Gearheads?" he asked.

She giggled. "You must not be from around here cutie."

"I'm from Whorl Arcology." explained Naruto.

"Ahhhh; that explains it." she said with a wink. "The guys with prosthetic head attachments call themselves Gearheads. They are from Clyne's Arcology to the east of here. Because they often have artificial eyes they often are employed here in Turing Arcology as technicians but some of them run in the streets as gangs. I've never been over to Clynes but I hear it's the best place in Lyonesse if you need prosthetics….Dance with me?"

Naruto smiled and said, "I would but I'm on guard duty." as he motioned over to the crowd at the bar.

"Hmmm….Maybe we'll see each other again when you're _off duty_ Mister Enforcer." The woman walked away with a sway in her hips….

The whiskered ninja turned back to the crowd and saw Benibara and Ariel were still flirting with whats-his-name-

" _OH MY GOD!_ " said a drunken woman beside him. " _It's_ _ **Tyler**_ _. He's soooo hot!_ " She stumbled over towards the crowd and tried to fight her way through the groupies to the goateed man in question.

' _Well, that saves me asking who the rich guy with the goatee is_.' thought Naruto as the drunk woman started fighting with the others and generally causing a ruckus. ' _Time to get Lady Benibara out of there_.' thought the ninja as the fight escalated.

That's when the orange loving blonde heard a tiny noise over the music and leaned his head back on reflex. A dart shot by and imbedded itself in the metal ceiling. Naruto traced the needle's trajectory back to a Gearhead with some sort of needle launcher built into his prosthetic forearm. The Gearhead's mouth was mechanical as well and he said in a speaker like voice, "You got lucky Uzumaki. Let's see how you do in the dark!"

….

When the main lights cut out there was the sound of gunfire and all hell broke loose. People started to panic and screams were everywhere. The music and laser lights strangely stayed on with a stroboscopic effect and as they flashed and blinked off and on within the smoke Naruto's blue eyes locked on his needle firing opponent. The Gearhead assumed Naruto couldn't see at all in the low light and chuckled in a mechanical tone. "Unlike you I can see fine in the darkness!"

That's when Naruto body flickered behind the Gearhead and removed the man's needle firing forearm with a wind chakra enhanced kunai. The man stared in disbelief at the smoking, sparking stump that had once been his forearm and heard Naruto whisper over the music, "Never let your guard down." The blonde then stabbed his kunai through the back of the Gearhead's neck. Hearing the spine crack and seeing copious amounts of blood flowing liberally across the floor Naruto dropped the Gearhead's corpse and rapidly looked around.

The whiskered blonde heard Anya's voice yell, " _Lady Ariel; Lady Benibara!_ " and caught a glance of the martial artist as she ran out a side exit of the club.

"Damn it." growled Naruto. He saw several armed Gearheads in between him and the exit Anya took. Drawing another kunai out of his coat Naruto streamed enough wind chakra through the two blades to make his kunai knives glow to the length of long swords….

 _Soon blood was spattered everywhere_ ….

….

Ten minutes later the blood coated blonde ninja was running through the 'catacombs' looking for Benibara and Ariel. Naruto looked at the people in their VR sleep and wondered if they would ever wake up. ' _It's if they are just waiting to die; how creepy_.' He heard footsteps and silently listened to see if he could tell if they were Gearheads. It was Anya. She had her odd sword drawn and was looking around cautiously. Naruto whispered, "Anya, over here! Any signs of Lady Benibara and Lady Ariel?"

Anya looked over at Naruto and sighed. "They aren't in this area. Neither are the Gearheads." She walked up slowly and asked, "Have you picked up any trails?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "No; I haven't…."

The martial artist woman whispered, "Good." and spun around with her sword above her head. Anya went for an overhead slash with the intention of splitting Naruto's skull right down the middle….

But the blonde ninja was too fast for her though and caught the sword with the flats of his palms. Anya's eyes widened and she said, " _Whaaaat?!_ " Then Naruto used some wind chakra to score the blade and snapped it off at the base as he twisted it sideways. "Y-you can't do that!" exclaimed the Mohawk wearing woman in shock and disbelief.

Naruto said, "I can and I will." Then he open palmed her in the chest and sent her flying into a concrete wall. "I had my suspicions about you Anya. You are working with the Gearheads aren't you? I wondered how they knew my name."

Anya growled "You're dead Uzumaki!" and charged in with a series off roundhouse kicks. "I'll kill you!" she bellowed as Naruto nimbly evaded her kicks. Then she got frustrated and roared, "Stand still!"

The blonde reached in like lightning and caught the twirling woman's braid as she spun around. He yanked it down hard enough to cause her to cry out as he pulled her awkwardly down to her knees from behind. The next thing Anya knew was a world of pain as Naruto rammed her face into the concrete pillar multiple times which broke her nose and several teeth. The ninja hissed into her ear. "Tell me where the Gearheads are and where they took Benibara and Ariel!" The bloodied Anya hesitated and he smashed her face into the pillar again making her whimper. "Tell me." growled the blonde as he pulled a kunai back out and placed it against her throat which caused a tiny cut in the skin. Her eyes widened in fear and Naruto said darkly, "Do you want to live? Start talking or I slit your jugular!"

The martial artist woman was terrified. She'd never felt this much fear in her entire life! "D-don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Then start talking." said Naruto with a hiss.

"The Gearheads wanted Lady Ariel and paid me a fortune to hand her over. They took Lady Benibara as extra insurance." whimpered Anya. "The Gearheads took the fifth basement exit to the streets and are taking her to Clynes Arcology nearby."

"How many are there down here?" asked Naruto.

"There's only six here in T-turing." said the Mohawked woman through chattering and broken teeth. "About fifty more Gearheads are waiting for them in the S-streets. P-please let me go. That's all I know."

Naruto said in a bone chilling voice; "Let you go? That wasn't part of the deal traitor….The sentence for breaking your oath to you Mistress is **_death_**." Anya tried to cry out for mercy but Naruto slashed her throat before she could. Naruto dropped the limp betrayer to the floor as she hemorrhaged out her life essence and he said, "Die in dishonor…." Then he body flickered away.

….

 **The Streets**

Naruto slipped out of Turing Arcology through the only exit he could find on the fifth basement floor of the catacombs. The blonde quickly looked around and started tracking by making a dozen shadow clones. "Dispel when you find the girls." he ordered quietly. The shadow clones all nodded and took off in different directions while Naruto sat down and waited in the seiza position….

….Within five minutes one of Naruto's clones located Benibara and Ariel with their hands bound behind their backs being carried along by over a dozen Gearheads. The shadow clone dispelled and the original Naruto's eyes opened. His eyes were yellow and toad like. ' _I'm not holding back on these scum_.' thought the Sage as he took off after the girls like a bullet. Soon the blonde was chakra hopping over numerous ruins and debris which littered the urban decay known as the streets.

….

The fifty some odd Gearheads were spread out and Naruto ruthlessly ambushed small groups of them before their leader realized they were under attack. She sped her underlings along and led them to a clearing where she ordered her men to split into two groups, each with one of the heiresses. She called out; "I'm Rainer of the Gearheads! Come out and show your yourself or both of these women die!"

Rainer was surprised when Naruto stepped out of the shadows into the twilight of the streets. He had a dead Gearhead by the throat and dropped the corpse unceremoniously about twenty feet away from her. Hear visible blue eye widened a bit in fear as her mechanical eye zoomed in on Naruto's blood spattered face. Rainer said in a surprised voice, "You're Uzumaki Naruto! Anya said she'd take you out. Where is she?"

"I slit the traitor's throat after she revealed she sold out the Tesla family." said Naruto in a cold tone.

The Gearhead woman chuckled. "Wow! You're the real deal blondie. You're cold as ice."

Naruto didn't move. "She pissed me off….Just like you are doing now."

Rainer held up her hands in a placating manner. "Now, now. Cool your jets. You have to look at your circumstances."

The blonde shifted his weight onto his right foot and crossed his arms. "….My circumstances?"

"Look pal; you can't be two places at once." said Rainer logically. "Let's make a deal Uzumaki. You take the Steelside Heiress back unharmed and we'll take the Tesla Heiress with us. That way you've done your job and no more fighting. It's that or we kill them both. It's your call. I'm a pretty reasonable gal deep down. Take you Mistress and walk away from this one man."

The blonde ninja sighed as he looked at the twenty or so remaining Gearheads and their leader Rainer who was standing in between the two groups. The Gearheads were divided pretty evenly and each group head one of the girls. Benibara was putting up a brave face but was obviously terrified for her cousin. Her ice green eyes were flooded with emotion and kept darting between Ariel and Naruto. For her part Ariel was holding back the tears and was frozen up. She had already concluded that Naruto was going to take Benibara and walk away leaving the Tesla Heiress to her fate.

Naruto said, "You know Rainer; you drive a pretty hard bargain. Taking Lady Benibara hostage along with Lady Ariel was pretty slick thinking. Since you've got them twenty feet apart there's no way I could rescue them both."

Rainer smiled. "I'm glad you understand the situation."

The blonde nodded somberly and replied, "You messed up on one thing though."

"One thing…?" asked Rainer puzzled.

Naruto's toad like eyes blazed. "…. **I** ** _can_** **be two places at once**."

Rainer's visible eye widened as Naruto disappeared in a body flicker and both groups of her remaining men started getting mowed down ruthlessly. ' _Which ones do I help?! I-I don't know what to do!_ ' she thought in a panic.

That's when Naruto appeared behind Rainer and chopped her neck. As she blacked out Rainer heard Naruto say; "Actually I can be several places at once. Count your lucky stars I need you alive…."

Ariel was shocked into disbelief when the Gearheads around her were cut down in a blur by two wind swords. She felt herself get scooped up by Naruto and was dizzied when he whisked her away in a body flicker jutsu.

In the meantime Naruto cut down the group holding Benibara hostage with a windcutter jutsu that sliced them into shredded piles of meat and metal. Likewise Naruto carried her out of the line of fire in a body flicker.

Three blonde ninjas and their passengers appeared back where Naruto had been originally when he was 'negotiating' with Rainer. Two of them set Benibara and Ariel down and cut their bindings while the third tied Rainer up with ninja wire. After that two of the Naruto's dispelled leaving the original to escort the two heiresses and his prisoner back to Turing Arcology….

….

The two heiresses were virtually _clinging_ to Naruto as they walked back to Turing Arcology. He was already lugging Rainer along over one shoulder and just wanted to get everyone home to safety.

"Were your eyes actually _glowing yellow_ Naruto?" asked Ariel. "You looked so cool! Those Gearheads were scared out their minds!" she gushed.

Benibara exclaimed, "There were _three_ of you! How did you do that?! It was amazing!"

The girl's barrage of questions and praise were coming at supersonic speeds but Naruto knew they were both frightened out of their minds and virtually on an adrenaline high. He figured they both needed to get medical treatment and a good night's rest more than anything.

Soon several patrol vehicles with spotlights were hovering over the local area looking for the Tesla Heiress out in the streets. They quickly located the blood spattered Naruto escorting Ariel and Benibara back to Turing. Within minutes a medevac vehicle arrived to take the exhausted group to the Turing Medical Facility for medical treatment and decontamination.

After arriving at the hospital; the paparazzi were basically trying to break the doors down at the hospital but luckily security was tight and they were kept out. It wasn't long before Naruto saw Kraven arrive along with several staff members from the Tesla Mansion. He waved at Kraven but Naruto _didn't_ see any sign of Ariel's parents. He found it very strange….

….

Meanwhile; Kraven was on the Turing Net at the Hospital talking with Lady Rosalie and Lord Magnus back at Whorl. He was informing them of the situation. The manservant hadn't talked to Naruto directly but he had spoken with both Benibara and Ariel briefly and found that the two young women were shaken up but unharmed. "I can assure you that Naruto did his part Lord Magnus." said Kraven. "Lady Benibara and Lady Ariel indicated that they were betrayed and Naruto tracked them down and rescued them. No; I don't know the nature of the betrayal….Naruto…? He was practically painted in blood….No; I suspect it was someone else's blood. He was moving around fine and waved at me from the decontamination chamber as if he was uninjured." Kraven sweat dropped. "I assure you I will contact you as soon as I find out things with more substance my Lady. Yes, yes. I'll be in touch soon. Goodbye."

Naruto came out of decontamination with his fabric suit ruined but all his black ops mesh and gear intact. Given he was licensed Enforcer for the Steelside Family he was permitted to retain his weaponry. He scratched his neck nervously and thought; _'I wonder what the fallout is going to be from this mess. The body count was awfully high. Lord Magnus and Lady Rosalie are going to be tied in knots_.'

Ariel and Benbara were in the same room with each other after decontamination. They were being treated for various cuts and bruises that they got being jostled about by the gang of Gearheads. Ariel was elated about Naruto rescuing them but was upset by Anya selling them out. "I can't believe my own Enforcer turned on me Benibara."

"Naruto set it right." said a glowing Benibara. "I still have no idea how he does all that stuff but he was so heroic today. I was afraid for both of us but he came through without a hitch….By the way Ariel; do you think your parents will come?"

The Tesla Princess shook her head and said; "I'm sure they are studying the situation is total VR immersion as usual. It must be nice having parents to visit with in real life instead of only in Virtual Reality."

….

It wasn't long before Naruto was given a clean bill of health and had on a new suit of clothes thanks to his friend Kraven. The two men were talking about what exactly had happened and Naruto was compiling a report for Lord Magnus and Lady Rosalie. As far as Naruto was concerned Benibara was a trouble magnet though he didn't write that down. And then there was the paparazzi….

The mass media was in a frenzy considering the number of losses that the local gang of Gearheads had incurred. The body count hadn't been this high around Turing Arcology since the last major gang wars that took place 50 years before. Naruto wasn't all that up on the details but apparently gang wars were something of a common thing back in the day. Clynes Arcology and Turing were close enough to each other that when tensions got hot gangs running in the streets between the two arcologies made travel dangerous by ground. The same thing was in Whorl's early history but the strong military presence in Whorl Arcolology _dissuaded_ a strong gang presence in the area of Whorl anyway….

Finishing his preliminary report Naruto said to Kraven; "I'm going to meditate for a while if you'll keep an eye on the Ladies. I need to relax a little bit and I think the hospital staff can keep Lady Benibara and Lady Ariel out of trouble for a few minutes anyway."

Wilhelm chuckled. "One would hope so. I'll wake you up when Lady Benibara and Lady Ariel are ready to go home. It should be a few hours yet."

"All right then; it's lights out for me. Wake me if you need me Wilhelm." said the blonde.

….

Soon Naruto was in deep meditation when he heard a familiar yawn. Two red eyes blinked awake inside the seal that was the home of the nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi. Naruto was ecstatic seeing his friend had finally awakened. " _Kurama, boy am I glad to see you!"_ exclaimed the blonde. " _I've been worried about you. You've been asleep for weeks_."

Kurama yawned and said, " ** _Was I out that long? I used a ton of chakra keeping us from being crushed within that tunnel's wall after you blacked out_**."

" _What exactly happened?_ " asked the blonde. " _I remember touching Hinata-chan's hand and the next thing I knew I crashed through a barrier and landed on some thugs_."

" ** _After you touched her hand the two women were swept down the_** ** _center_** ** _of the water tunnel to wherever it leads I presume_**." said the ancient fox. " ** _We weren't so lucky and crashed into the_** ** _wall_** ** _of the water tunnel and were drawn_** ** _within_** ** _it. The pressure was so great that I had to burn tail after tail of chakra to keep us alive and whole. To add insult to injury the tunnel wall spit us out and launched us for miles through that goo before we hit something that looked like glass and busted through. I felt us freefalling but then I blacked out from lack of chakra_**."

The orange loving ninja sweat dropped. "So we got crushed, I blacked out and you took over, then you blacked out and I took over again."

" ** _That's it in a nutshell kid_**." agreed the nine-tails. " ** _Any sign of your girlfriends?_** "

Naruto blushed slightly and said, " _I've been searching for Hinata-chan and Shizuka-chan ever since I crashed here in Lyonesse. Even in Sage mode using all my sensory techniques I haven't been able to detect them_."

" ** _Lyonesse?_** " asked Kurama. " ** _That was a massive sea power nation in my youth. They took slaves wherever they went. I remember Asura and Indra both hated them with a passion and it took a lot for those two to agree on_** ** _anything_** ** _. The Empire took people from both sides of chakra wielders. Hmmm….It's been centuries since I even thought of the Empire of Lyonesse. Whatever happened to them?_** "

" _The entire Empire sank to the bottom of the ocean_." said Naruto. " _They've been stuck down here for centuries_."

Kurama exploded into laughter. " ** _Hahahaha! Serves the bastards right!_** "

The blonde ninja sweat dropped. "…. _And we're stuck down here with them_."

"…. ** _Oh….That sucks_**." replied the Kyuubi. Man and Fox Spirit sat there in silence for a few moments reflecting and Kurama asked, " ** _So what's been going on while I was sleeping?_** "

" _It's a really long story_ …." said Naruto.

….

Kurama was stretched out with his tails moving around lazily. " ** _So you got a job and are trying to search for your missing girlfriends. The only real source of chakra you've found is up north in_** ** _The Outskirts_** ** _and you think there are many chakra users there_**."

" _That's the gist of it_." agreed the blonde. " _I guess the next step is to acquire that datajack and put their technology to use. After that it's a matter of exploring_ _The Outskirts_ _somehow or other_."

" ** _Looks like we have our work cut out for us Naruto_**." commented the Fox.

" _Too true_." replied the whiskered ninja.

….

Naruto was jarred out of his meditations by the Turing Security Police. A rather large pair of officers was there in blue and white bodysuits. I'm afraid you'll need to come with us regarding the abduction of the Tesla Heiress Mr. Uzumaki. We have a number of questions for you."

The blonde ninja showed his Whorl Enforcer identification and said, "Once my Mistress Lady Benibara Steelside and Lady Ariel Tesla a safe and secure inside the Tesla Mansion I will be happy to accompany you. Until then I am not leaving their sides. If you have a problem I'm sure Lord Magnus Steelside of Whorl Arcology would be more than happy to intervene on my behalf."

One of the officers looked irritated and the other said, "We will address our superiors on this matter. We're keeping an eye on you Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto looked bored and said, "You do that."

After the officers stepped away Kraven whispered, "I can keep an eye on the Ladies if you need to talk to the Security Police Naruto. There is no need to antagonize them."

The blonde replied, "Until they are completely safe I'm not leaving the Ladies' sides. It's bad enough that they got abducted on my watch. Those Security Police could keep me for hours playing twenty questions and I'm not about to let that happen…."

….

 **Whorl Arcology**

Magnus Steelside was reading Naruto's preliminary report regarding the abduction of his daughter and niece. He sighed. "Naruto eliminated 57 people in the process of rescuing Benibara and Ariel from a Clynes Arcology gang. I have no doubt the media in Turing Arcology is going to be all over this like flies on a stink."

"At least our baby and Ariel are safe." said Rosalie. "That's all that matters to me."

The Steelside Patriarch nodded. "I'd better brief our lawyers on the situation. I don't know how this will pan out but Naruto is going to walk away scot-free. That's a promise…."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① Neural drugs: These are programs that induce various types of pleasures (euphoria, sexual, uppers, downers, etc.) They are inserted into a datajack and can be turned on and off at the user's will. Obviously blocking out the drug for later use would be handy in case you had to act quickly. Depending on the individual's tastes they can be a mild pleasure or highly addictive. Naturally; most are highly illegal as they can cause brain damage in extreme cases.

*② Gearhead: _Real_ Gearheads are people interested in mechanical things such as cars or computers for example. _In Lyonesse_ they are cybernetically enhanced people from Clynes Arcology as described in the text. They often collect cybernetic parts like people get tattoos or body piercings. Imagine a much less extreme version of the Borg in Star Trek TNG without the Hive Mind.

This chapter ended up being primarily Naruto-centric. It was by accident rather than design. I originally planned to delve into the girl's stories in detail but I wanted to bring Kurama back into the picture first and ran out of space. We'll be catching up with Hinata and Shizuka more in future chapters. See you next time. Blue out. 12/23/18


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